ILWU CANADA VOTES TO ACCEPT PORT LABOR AGREEMENT
Dock workers in western Canada voted to accept an improved labour contract after a month-long dispute that affected trade and disrupted operations at the country’s busiest ports. The vote was 74.66% in Favor of the terms of the settlement, the International Longshore, and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Disagreements in contract negotiations have disrupted billions of dollars in trade, raising concerns about fuelling inflation. The union provisionally agreed to a new contract on Sunday, averting an immediate strike, but the agreement needed to be approved by workers.
ILA SEEKS ARBITRATION WITH CARRIERS IN NEW LEATHERMAN SUIT
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) wants to arbitrate its dispute with ocean carriers that called the Port of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, claiming the calls have triggered at least $500 million in contractual damages due to the use of non-union labour at the terminal. The ILA’s filing of a lawsuit against maritime employer representative United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL in New Jersey District court last Thursday comes a week after a US appeals court denied an effort to squash a similar lawsuit the union filed in 2021.
CHASSIS MAKER CIE HALTS US EQUIPMENT IMPORTS
CIE Manufacturing has stopped all US imports of chassis indefinitely following an investigation by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) into whether one of the largest global chassis makers evaded countervailing and antidumping duties on Chinese goods.
MARKET SHARE HOLDS KEY TO RECOVERY FOR US INTERMODAL, TRUCKLOAD: ANALYST There has been a great deal of discussion in the press recently regarding the current state of the intermodal market. Has the inventory drawdown run its course? Will the market come back in time for the peak season? These are certainly valid questions, but the answers lie outside of the intermodal sector’s control. However, regardless of where the demand for intermodal and truckload freight transport moves over the coming months, the industry holds the key to its destiny in its own hands. It’s all about market share. Even a partial recovery will result in big gains.
LTL CARRIERS PLANS TO ADD CAPACITY AS LTL FREIGHT VOLUMES SURGE.
Freight poured in to less-than-truckload (LTL) network in July, with LTL shipments rising 8.8% year over year and tonnage climbing 4.2%. The freight surge gained steam toward the end of the month when some of the carriers stopped picking up the shipments and shutdown.