Oakland Port Operations Grind to a Halt

zoomPort of Oakland Port of Oakland marine terminal operations halted on Thursday as longshore workers took the day off for a union meeting. As a result, there was no gate, yard or vessel work on the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift, the port said. The work on loading and unloading of  containers on the 12 vessels at berth was also suspended. The work stoppage also precluded the release of import containers or acceptance of exports for overseas shipment, the port added. Vessel operations on the evening shift are halted as well under a month-old suspension of nighttime activity by terminal operators. The decision not to work comes in the ninth month of contract negotiations between dockworkers and terminal operators at 29 West Coast ports. Full operations are expected to resume at the port on Friday, February 20. The decision not to work is damaging to shippers who rely on the Port of Oakland to move their cargo, and to the thousands of people who depend on the Port for their livelihood, said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll. Disruptions such as this one cripple our ability to support global trade and the economy of the Bay Area. According to reports, the longshore union is taking the day off to conduct a monthly meeting. The meetings, known as stop-work meetings, have long been part of labor-management contracts at West Coast ports. Traditionally, however, those meetings have been held at night. Todays day-shift meeting coincides with the ports peak period of activity, the port said in a release.