It may be time to stock up. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle on Saturday, according to the Pacific Maritime Association.
PMA said on Twitter that work slowdowns Friday directed by ILWU officials have brought ground operations to a halt, resulting in longshore workers being sent home.
“Coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle,” PMA wrote on Saturday.
The Port of Seattle is a powerhouse in the economy of the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska’s economy is existentially tied to it. Roughly 80% of the goods coming to Alaska pass through the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
The work stoppage, not yet characterized as a strike, follows similar slowdowns last week at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland.
Longshoremen up and down the West Coast have been working without a contract since last July.
