Ports of Long Beach, L.A. shut down Friday from labor shortage

A worker shortage Friday has effectively shut down the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach – the largest gateway for maritime trade in the U.S.

The labor shortage began Thursday evening as ILWU Local 13 withheld labor.

Negotiations over a new labor contract for West Coast dockworkers are under increasing strain – leading to labor withholdings Thursday evening and Friday.

The Pacific Maritime Association said ILWU's actions are causing widespread worker shortages at both ports. A majority of Thursday night shifts went unfilled, including all jobs for cargo handling equipment operators who load and unload cargo.

The association said the workers that did show up Thursday night, were sent home because there weren't enough people to fulfill basic operational needs.

The Port of Los Angeles says they are communicating with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), along with federal, state, and local officials.

"Resuming cargo operations at America's busiest port complex is critical to maintaining confidence to our customers and supply chain stakeholders," wrote the Port of Los Angeles in a released statement.

The Port of Long Beach said they expect operations to resume normally Saturday.

"Four of the Port's container terminals are closed for the day, today, April 7. Terminal operators at the affected sites said they made the decision to close when workers did not report for their shifts this morning. We have no further information as to the situation, but it is expected that normal, regularly scheduled hours and operations will resume tomorrow," Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said.