The clock is ticking down for port owners and unions to come to an agreement over labor. The current contract extension expires on January 15th, and a work stoppage could have a major impact on agriculture trade.
Contract negotiations got quite heated back in November. Despite the back-and-forth, the two sides were able to pass a short-term contract until January 15th, but that day is quickly approaching, and the Union is pushing back on automation requests by port owners.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation has been closely watching and says uncertainty is already brewing. Around 45 percent of waterborne U.S. pork exports leave ports that would be impacted by a strike.
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“We oppose the port fees because they are going to have a severe effect on the U.S. economy and, in particular, agricultural exporters and farmers.”
“South Dakota ranked dead last in international trade. We’re going to change that.”
“Our organization was the only one that publicly came out and said, ‘We support these wholeheartedly.’”
