West Canada port strikes create worries for Memphis
International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers wave at cars driving past while picketing outside of the BC Maritime Employers Association Dispatch Center after a 72 hour strike notice and no agreement made on the bargaining table in Vancouver, on Saturday, July 1, 2023. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP file)
Strikes at large ports in western Canada — which shave days off transit time for Asian goods headed to Memphis — are creating worries for logistics managers across the city.
On Monday, Nov. 4, 700 workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 were locked out by out ocean carriers and terminal operators represented by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association in Vancouver and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, after the union rejected what the employer group said was its “final” contract offer.
The United States is Canada’s largest trade partner. Ships loaded with containers for now are waiting offshore.
“In the short term, our overall volumes will dip,” said Joel Henry, CEO of Memphis-based IMC. “Customers will not receive cargo that is stranded at these ports until it is diverted and starts flowing through other channels.
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Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts has reported in Memphis for more than 20 years. As a senior member of The Daily Memphian staff, she was assigned to the medical beat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has done in-depth work on other medical issues facing our community, including shortages of specialists in local hospitals. She covered K-12 education here for years and later the region’s transportation sector, including Memphis International Airport and FedEx Corp.
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