West Coast port areas are unusually quiet as a labor union dispute has pretty much shut down commercial activities that involve loading and unloading ships.
Ships carrying about anything made in Asia and destined for U.S. markets — and containers going from the United States to overseas destinations — are impacted, The Associated Press reported.
Union officials have been embroiled in tense contract discussions with employers, and the end result has been the paralysis of 29 West Coast ports — the same terminals that handle a quarter of all U.S. international trade, AP said.
The commerce at these 29 ports is worth about $1 trillion each year.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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