Every year, West Coast ports provide nearly $2 trillion in total economic value. Currently, Ms. Su’s nomination for the Secretary of DOL is being considered by the U.S. Senate.
For more than a year, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement for dock workers at West Coast ports. On June 6th, the railroad company Union Pacific temporarily paused all U.S. exports due to the empty containers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. This comes as the Port of Seattle removed union members from working on shipping vessels last week due to low productivity. Additionally, the Port of Tacoma is currently operating at 50 percent capacity due to the failure of workers to meet the 30-turn-an-hour standard productivity mark.
When asked about the status of the West Coast ports negotiations at a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on June 7th, Ms. Su testified that she was in communication with both sides and that “cargo continues to move at the West Coast ports and workers continue to show up and do their job.”
“...[Y]ou testified on June 7 that ‘cargo continues to move at the West Coast ports and workers continue to show up and do their job,”’ wrote Dr. Cassidy. “Your statement misleads the American people, as it fails to acknowledge the delays in processing cargo traffic. The West Coast ports situation has real-life ramifications that resulted in a June 6 temporary pause of all U.S. exports by a railroad company due to the empty containers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.”
“As President Biden’s nominee to serve as the next Secretary of Labor, you have repeatedly claimed you are qualified to assist in labor negotiations, despite having no clear track record of working with labor and management to end labor disputes,” continued Dr. Cassidy. “Given the economic impact of these ongoing delays it is imperative that you specifically outline how you intend to facilitate a final agreement by all parties.”
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