COVID-19 infections among dockworkers and a pandemic-fueled torrent of imports have created a perfect storm at California’s two busiest ports.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Times reported that nearly 700 dockworkers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have contracted COVID-19, and hundreds more have had to take virus-related leave, creating the potential for a debilitating slowdown. As of Jan. 20, a total of 45 ships were waiting to unload\u2014the largest bottleneck in six years. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got more cargo than we do skilled labor,\u201d Eugene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told the LA Times. \u201cWe are told 1,800 workers are not going on the job due to COVID right now. That can [include] those who are isolating through contact tracing or awaiting test results. Or maybe [those who] fear \u2026 going on the job when a lot of people are sick.\u201d <\/p>\n
At the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. saw a slowdown of products coming from China, which was then the epicenter of the virus. At that point, container volume at the Port of Los Angeles dropped about 19 percent. But, in the second half of 2020, as more people worked (and shopped) from home, volume rose by about 50 percent. <\/p>\n
California\u2019s infection rates are on the decline from the mid-January peak seven-day average of 44,197, but still at a current seven-day average of 25,576 new cases. In the last two weeks, Los Angeles County alone reported about 153,000 total cases.<\/p>\n
According to the the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, positivity rate at the Port of Los Angeles is currently 65%, and 71% at the port of Long Beach. Those numbers could be misleading, however, due to inconsistent self-reporting (more on that in a bit).<\/p>\n
As essential workers, dock employees are theoretically a priority for vaccination. But vaccine shortages and logistical issues have been a problem. <\/p>\n
\u201cRight now we\u2019re moving fairly slowly because we just don\u2019t have enough vaccine,\u201d LA County Health Department director Barbara Ferrer said, according to the Times.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and other officials wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state\u2019s health and human services secretary to push them to speed up the vaccination effort among Southern California\u2019s 15,000 dockworkers.<\/p>\n
So far, according to Seroka, not a single longshore worker at the two ports has gotten a vaccine yet. <\/p>\n
The worst case scenario right now for Los Angeles and the U.S. overall, relying on the major West Coast port, would be shutdowns, as laid out by California Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragan and Alan Lowenthal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout immediate action, terminals at the largest port complex in America may face the very real danger of terminal shutdowns,\u201d they wrote to California and LA County health officials this month. \u201cThis would be disastrous not only for the communities of the South Bay, but also the entire nation, which relies upon the vital flow of goods through these ports.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another issue at the ports has been the alleged failure to comply with California reporting mandates. As we saw with the ports\u2019 slightly inland neighbor, Los Angeles Apparel, the state requires immediate notification if a workplace has three or more confirmed COVID-19 cases in 14 days. <\/p>\n
Representatives for three Southern California longshore workers unions said only one of the ports’ combined 12 terminals has reported an outbreak since last March. It involved 15 workers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not being done by terminal operators at the San Pedro Bay port complex,\u201d the representatives said. \u201cThe vast majority of terminal operators are failing to report at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seroka and Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, told the LA Times that they don\u2019t expect \u201cany imminent terminal shutdowns,\u201d but they don\u2019t want to leave the issue going until it\u2019s too late and they do need to issue shutdowns. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t do something fast, we are jeopardizing the fluidity of the movement of cargo,\u201d Cordero said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Most promo suppliers have domestic stock on hand, lessening the immediate impact of shipping delays from China. But the longer port slowdowns draw on, the greater the chance delays could affect orders as the year plays out.<\/p>\n
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