Legislation that would amend the federal Taft-Hartley Act to
allow governors to intervene in port labor disputes rather than being required
to ask the White House to do so was introduced on June 5, 2015.
Hopefully this will help the next time the port shuts down in Los Angeles due to worker strikes. As we all know long port delays creates havoc for the apparel industry. Clothing exporters, importers, and clothing stores all hate product delays.
The Protecting Orderly and Responsible Transit of
Shipments or PORTS Act, was introduced by Senator
Cory Gardner, R-Colo., a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee. The bill would grant states new powers under
Taft-Hartley so governors could examine the economic harm of port disruptions
and petition federal courts to intervene. Under current law, that request could
only come from the president.
The introduction of the PORTS Act is a welcome sign that
Congress is serious about reforming the process and dedicated to the future
viability of U.S. ports.
The Act, which is cosponsored by Senator Lamar Alexander
(R-TN), would discourage disruptions at US seaports and incentivize speedy
resolution of disputes by strengthening and expanding the well-known Taft
Hartley process, which is already applicable to ports and includes 70 years of
case law.
It would do this by granting state governors Taft Hartley
powers currently reserved for the president, including the ability to convene a
board of inquiry and start the Taft Hartley process whenever a port labor
dispute is causing economic harm. Once that board reports, governors could
petition federal courts to enjoin slowdowns, strikes, or lockouts at ports in
their states. The PORTS Act would explicitly include slowdowns as a trigger for
Taft Hartley powers.
The bill has the support of over 100 business and trade
associations including the Agricultural Transportation Coalition, Consumer
Electronics Association, National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber
of Commerce. These organizations representing farmers, retailers,
transportation providers, wholesalers and other supply chain stakeholders signed
a coalition letter organized by NRF.
You can read our recent article about how the LA
port closures effected the fashion industry on the fashion
blog.
Note: this bill has not yet passed. It has been introduced
for review.
Learn more about Ports in the USA and around
the globe in the freight and transportation section here on Apparel
Search.