Strike Threat Hangs Over LA, Long Beach as Port Grants Hit Five-Year Low

A union representing security workers has warned it could disrupt eight terminals at the busiest US port complex this weekend. The threat comes as federal funding for port upgrades falls to its lowest level in five years.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26, which represents watchmen who handle gate and cargo security, issued what it called a “preliminary notice” of a labor dispute. It said talks with terminal employers and the Pacific Maritime Association have yielded “nothing of value.” The union has been working under a series of contract extensions, the latest of which expires Nov. 1st.

The affected facilities include APM Terminals, Long Beach Container Terminal and Total Terminals International, as well as several SSA-operated berths. Local 26 President Luisa Gratz appealed to other unions for “labor solidarity.” Picket lines could limit terminal access if other maritime workers refuse to cross them. The PMA has asked the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to join the talks, and the union has agreed.

The dispute is separate from the coastwide ILWU dockworker contract, which runs through 2028. It comes after the two ports handled a record 2.04 million twenty-foot container units in September.

Separately, the Maritime Administration announced $498 million in grants for 35 port projects in 19 states, the final round of funding under the 2021 infrastructure law. That is down from 774 million dollars awarded in April and the lowest total in five years. The largest grant, worth more than 50 million dollars, will replace the DeLong Dock in Whittier, Alaska.

“The strength of our nation’s economy is directly tied to the state of our ports,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. The American Association of Port Authorities warned that funding will drop sharply next year without new money from Congress. It is urging lawmakers to include advance appropriations in the next surface transportation bill.