International Maritime embargo has been lifted , and “ TraPac caught up ,” said a source with knowledge of the situation .

The average dwell time for rail-destined containers in the Los Angeles – Long Beach port complex increased to 6.26 days in February from 4.72 days in January , according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association ( PMSA ). Whereas only 5.9 % of the containers that left Los Angeles – Long Beach by truck in February dwelled on the terminals for five days or longer , 45.9 % of the containers that left on rail dwelled for five days or longer , PMSA said .

At the Port of Los Angeles , the rail container inventory in the second full week of March was about 12,500 . “ We ’ d like to see it at about 9,000 ,” Gene Seroka , the port ’ s executive director , told a press briefing March 18 .

Of the total inventory of rail containers in Los Angeles , about 4,300 had been dwelling nine days or longer .

The Port of Long Beach had about 7,800 rail containers on the docks in February , compared with the usual inventory of about 6,000 , said Noel Hacegaba , the port ’ s deputy executive director and chief operating officer .

email : bill . mongelluzzo @ spglobal . com

Rejection of ‘ essential ’ designation gives Montreal port workers option to strike

Longshore contract talks in Montreal ( pictured ) have dragged on for seven months with no resolution . Firefighter Montreal / Shutterstock . com

By Michael Angell

The chance of labor action in eastern Canada ’ s busiest port if dockworkers and employers fail to negotiate a new contract has increased significantly following the latest ruling by regulators .

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board on March 14 rejected a request from maritime employers at the Port of Montreal to designate container services at the port as an essential service , leaving the option open for longshore workers to strike .

The board ’ s rejection of the “ essential ” designation request , which if granted would have barred workers from striking , comes as contract talks have dragged on for seven months with no resolution .

“ Although the decision does not correspond to our expectations , we remain convinced that the continuity and stability of the supply chain is of the utmost importance ,” the Maritime Employers Association ( MEA ) said in a statement after the ministry ’ s ruling . “ Our priority remains the conclusion of a negotiated collective agreement .”

The MEA filed its request in October that longshore work at Montreal ’ s six container terminals be designated as an “ essential ” service .

The MEA ’ s request last fall , which had the support of Canadian forwarder and shipper groups , came as it said talks for a new collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees ( CUPE ) Local 375 hit an impasse just ahead of the expiration of the current four-year contract .

The MEA entered talks with the union representing Montreal ’ s 1,200 dockworkers back in September . But the

www . joc . com union quickly shut down direct talks with employers by asking Canada ’ s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service ( FMCS ) to intervene , signaling to many that CUPE was going to take a contentious stance in the talks .

But FMCS oversight of talks ended in December with no deal . After a cooling-off period following those talks — and now the lack of an essential services designation — CUPE is allowed to strike within 72 hours of notifying the employers . The MEA said in its statement that it hopes the FMCS can again intervene in the talks .

“ We remain convinced that the continuity and stability of the supply chain is of the utmost importance .”

Montreal has been hit by strikes during other contract negotiations . Longshore workers staged multiple strikes against the port in 2020 as they tried to bargain for a new four-year contract with the MEA following the previous contract ’ s expiration in 2018 . CUPE Local 375 also went on strike for four days in April 2021 over new rules that required a seven-hour shift instead of five-hour shift .

CUPE did not respond to requests for comment .

email : michael . angell @ spglobal . com

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