Port of Oakland Hails Labor Agreement

A shroud of uncertainty lifted from the Port of Oakland this week with the announcement of a tentative agreement in long-running labor negotiations that threatened to disrupt port operations up and down the West Coast. Bay Area Council Executive Committee member and Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan hailed the agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).
 
“Today is a monumental day for U.S. West Coast seaports. Labor peace is a commitment to continue delivering the most efficient, cost effective, and environmentally-sustainable cargo operations in the country. Asia to the West Coast still remains the most efficient route,” Wan said in a statement.
  
The Port of Oakland is an agricultural gateway for farm goods produced in California’s Central Valley. Oakland has also become the preferred gateway for beef and pork exports produced in the U.S. Midwest. More than 84,000 regional jobs rely on the Port of Oakland. Together, with global and local business partners, tenants and workers the Port of Oakland is building back West Coast Ports today by investing in zero emissions technologies and increasing the efficiency of the movement of goods, both key issues that are critical to growing business in the global shipping industry for tomorrow.