Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach strike risk on hold
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The possible strike by port security personnel originally scheduled for November 1 at the two major container hub ports on the West Coast of the United States, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, has been temporarily postponed. On October 30, local time, the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents port employers, and the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 26 union reached an agreement to extend the negotiation period between the two parties from November 1 to November 5, thus temporarily avoiding the risk of immediate work stoppages. November 5 is the extended negotiation deadline. As of press time, the two parties have not announced a final agreement, the labor dispute has not yet been resolved, and there is uncertainty in subsequent port operation arrangements.
The negotiations lasted for more than a year, and the core differences have yet to be resolved.
This labor dispute is not sudden. ILWU Local 26 and the Pacific Maritime Association have been negotiating for more than a year. The original contract between the two parties expired in July 2025, and work has been maintained through extension arrangements since then. The Pacific Maritime Association said the two sides are continuing negotiations with the assistance of the federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and hope to reach a negotiated agreement to avoid disruption to port operations. At present, the two parties have not announced a final agreement, nor have they announced that the labor dispute has been resolved. After the negotiation period expires on November 5, whether the two sides will extend the negotiations again and whether they reach phased arrangements will become the key to judging the risks of port operations. It should be noted that Local 26 security personnel are subject to an independent labor agreement and are not part of the 2023 collective contract covering approximately 22,000 longshoremen on the West Coast of the United States, which is currently valid until 2028. This difference in contract application means that the resolution of this dispute is not completely synchronized with the overall West Coast terminal labor framework.
Involving about 250 security personnel, the impact may exceed the scope of the job.
The labor dispute involves about 250 port security personnel, or maritime guards, who are mainly responsible for container terminal entrance and exit inspections, truck and employee entry and exit management, internal security inspections of the terminal, and monitoring and guarding of important cargo. Although the above-mentioned personnel only account for about 2% of the ILWU union workforce at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, their positions are distributed in multiple key container terminals. According to data provided by the Pacific Maritime Association, the cargo volume handled by the terminals where these personnel work accounts for approximately 85% of the total cargo volume of the Port of Long Beach and 33% of the total cargo volume of the Port of Los Angeles.
This means that once a strike does occur, the impact may go far beyond the 250 security personnel themselves. The Pacific Maritime Association previously warned that other longshoremen, ship operators and related union members may not cross the picket lines, and ship loading and unloading, yard operations and truck gate operations at the affected terminals may come to a standstill. In other words, although security posts are not directly responsible for loading and unloading operations, their work stoppages may be transmitted to the entire terminal operation chain through the union coordination mechanism, creating a risk of systemic interruption. If no clear arrangement can be formed as a result of the negotiations on November 5, whether the relevant terminals will issue temporary operational adjustments deserves special attention.
The cargo volume of the two ports is running at a high level, and the pressure on the inland connection has emerged
The labor dispute occurred at a time when cargo volumes at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continued to be high. The two ports will handle a total of approximately 2.04 million TEU containers in September 2026, setting a historical record for the same period. Among them, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach respectively set their own September cargo volume records. A large number of imported goods are entering the U.S. market through these two ports, including holiday retail goods, artificial intelligence data center construction equipment, and auto parts. The high cargo volume itself has put pressure on terminal operations and the collection and distribution system. If labor actions are superimposed, supply chain fluctuations may be further amplified.
At the same time, inland railway transportation in the two ports is also under pressure. Previous industry data showed that as of October 26, there were still approximately 35,700 import containers waiting for rail transportation services at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. If subsequent terminal shutdowns occur, the pressure on the connection between port operations, container extraction and inland transportation may further increase, and the risk of port detention, container detention and storage costs may also increase.
Operational suggestions for export enterprises, freight forwarders and shipping companies
November 5 is the extended negotiation deadline. Relevant companies should not regard the previous deadline of November 1 as the only risk point, nor should they relax their attention to the dynamics of port operations because of the extension. It is recommended that companies that have recently imported or exported goods through the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach promptly confirm ship berthing, container pick-up and return, truck reservations and rail transfer arrangements with shipping companies and local agents, and reserve time for potential delays. Specifically, we can focus on the following aspects: First, verify the shipping schedule and call arrangement of the booked cargo, and confirm whether the shipping company may adjust berthing or port jumping; second, maintain communication with the destination port warehouse, trailers and customs brokers, and reserve container pick-up and delivery buffers in advance; third, evaluate the feasibility of transit through other West US gateways or East US ports, and calculate timeliness and cost changes; fourth, continue to track the progress of negotiations between the union and the employer and the status of terminal operations, and adjust shipping plans according to changes in circumstances.
The labor dispute, involving about 250 port security personnel, may be small but could affect the flow of cargo at the busiest container port group in the United States. After the negotiation period expires on November 5, whether the two parties reach an agreement or extend it again will become an important observation point for the risks of port operations in the next stage. Relevant companies should continue to pay attention to the progress of negotiations and terminal operation dynamics.
