The Association plans to shut down ports on the East and Gulf coasts
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), an organization dedicated to ensuring American agricultural products have transportation access, is asking Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to help with a movement by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).
The ILA is the largest union of maritime workers in North America. Members of the ILA from Maine to Texas are calling for a shutdown of ports to protest job loss and its impact on the economy.
“We will wake up the decision makers and force them to focus on our ports,” Kenneth Riley, ILA vice president and president of ILA Local 1422 in Charleston, South Carolina, said in a release. “If we don’t stop the destruction caused by overarching bureaucracies, America will pay an even bigger price.”
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Photo: ElaineChao.com
In a letter to Secretary Chao, AgTC says she needs to put a stop to ILA’s actions because of the potential harm they could to do farmers if export markets decide to shop somewhere else for products.
“(A) shutdown of our ports would again undermine our reputation as dependable suppliers,” the letter says. “Unlike apparel, footwear and electronics with particular brands and sources demanded by consumers, the cows in Japan don’t care where their forage comes from…diners in restaurants may not know where the soybeans in their tofu, or the pork, beef, French fries, (and) chicken on their plates come from.
“So there is no reason for manufacturers, restaurants, grocery chains, home builders and others overseas to tolerate delay or shortages due to disruption at U.S. ports.”
AgTC said they want Secretary Chao to bring her “experience and office to bear to prevent such a shutdown and to protect the export economy from injury that in some cases will be irreversible.”
Farms.com has reached out to Secretary Chao for updates on the situation and to ask if she will intervene.