A labor dispute that has infected ports up and down the West Coast is a threat to the national economy and calls for intervention on the part of President Barack Obama.
An impasse between the International Longshore Workers Union and the Pacific Maritime Association has been growing since their contract expired July 1, and the situation serves as a lecture in Economics 101. Ports in Seattle, Tacoma, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, Calif., have reported work slowdowns from union members, sending out ripples that extend throughout the entire region.
Consider Washington’s apple industry. The state has enjoyed a bountiful crop this year that is about 35 percent larger than usual. That’s great news for apple growers and for the state’s economy — unless the product cannot be delivered to buyers. Apples are exported to about 60 countries, including many in which the fruit is a traditional part of the Christmas season. “In some markets, like Central America, 50 percent of our shipments occur before Christmas,” said Rebecca Lyons, international marketing director for the Washington Apple Commission. “Once you miss that Christmas window, it’s very difficult to catch up again.”
Or consider the state’s Christmas tree industry. The Pacific Northwest is the nation’s largest producer of holiday evergreens, but, as Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, explained, “Maybe this season, they’re just about giving Christmas trees away because they can’t export them. You know what happens next year? That guy who was growing Christmas trees and had about three weeks to make all his money for the year is out of business. And then we’re buying our Christmas trees from British Columbia, where they’re not having problems.”