Contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and U.S. Maritime Alliance on a new labor agreement for port workers along the East and Gulf Coasts have stalled, increasing the potential for an Oct. 1 strike. Even though the majority of U.S. red meat exports flow out of the West Coast ports, a strike in the east and south would still have a significant impact on the industry, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom.
Through July, 45% of waterborne U.S. pork exports were shipped through the East and Gulf Coast ports, while the share of waterborne beef exports was 30%, based on USMEF’s calculations from PIERS data. Some of that traffic is already being re-routed through the West Coast ports, but there is not enough capacity to absorb all of the trade that would be impacted.
USMEF and other organizations are urging the White House and Congress to do all in their power to bring the two sides back to the bargaining table to avoid a port shutdown.