The Ohio AgriBusiness Association, along with more than 90 other agricultural organizations, signed a letter calling for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to resolve the labor dispute that is delaying operations at five west coast ports. Agricultural goods are spoiling or being destroyed before they can be shipped, costing the agriculture industry millions of dollars each week the negotiations continue. In addition, agricultural products are unable to be exported, which could result in foreign customers looking elsewhere to buy goods.
The letter urged both ILWU and PMA to take into account the impact the dispute is having on consumers and to resolve their differences as quickly as possible. The groups also urged the federal government to consider all available remedies to bring the dispute to a rapid end, noting the potentially dire consequences of not reaching an agreement that gets each port back up and running quickly.
Click here to read the complete letter.