Statement from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association
OAKLAND, Calif. (June 14, 2021) – The pandemic-driven, U.S. consumer surge in e-commerce has created a global shipping boom. Americans, spending most of their time at home during this public health crisis, have been purchasing online goods at unprecedented levels.
Huge cargo demand during the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted shipping schedules and created equipment challenges for marine terminal operations, railroads, and trucking companies.
The supply chain is globally challenged adjusting to these extreme circumstances.
As the third busiest seaport on the U.S. West Coast, the Port of Oakland is impacted by the onslaught of imported e-commerce goods. One of the major challenges is the vessel backlog. Recently, the Port of Oakland has seen the number of cargo ships waiting to enter the Port ranging from seven to as many as 30 vessels.
The pandemic has also impacted the availability of labor in multiple industries including the maritime sector. We see the same urgent need to hire more workers in aviation and hospitality industries as U.S. businesses recover from the COVID-crisis.
To address Oakland’s vessel congestion issue and cargo-handling efficiency, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association agreed to elevate 300 current casual workers to Class B status and to provide them skills training, as well as provide training for existing Class A and B workers. The newly promoted 300 Class B longshore workers will begin their skilled training by the end of June.
Additional labor will improve maritime operations to handle record breaking cargo levels at the Port of Oakland.
In addition, the Port of Oakland’s newest container cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal began operating last week. That means more ships can be worked at Oakland.
The ILWU Local 10 and Pacific Maritime Association are committed to improving Port efficiency, clearing the vessel backlog, and supporting more cargo coming through of the Port of Oakland now and for the future.
We are proud to be a part of the Port of Oakland’s role as a major economic force for the region, supporting more than 84,000 jobs in Northern California.