As port nightmare ends, how to prevent a rerun?

The National Retail Federation congratulated the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association for coming to a labor agreement regarding West Coast ports.

But the question remains: what can be done to prevent similar distribution disruptions in the future?

“As we welcome [Friday's] news, we must dedicate ourselves to finding a new way to ensure that this nightmare scenario is not repeated again,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “If we are to truly have modern international trade, supply chain and transportation systems, we must develop a better process for contract negotiations moving forward. We must commit whatever resources necessary to ensure that this will not happen again.”

Shay pointed to congestion, slowdowns and suspensions during the last few months as the ILWU and PMA fought it out over contracts for dock workers.

“The agricultural, manufacturing, retailing and transportation industries have all suffered due to the nine-month long contract negotiations,” Shay said.