West Coast ports work stoppage continues through holiday weekend
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- This will be a rare day of work at the Port of Oakland and other West Coast ports.
Longshoremen will unload containers on Friday then resume a frustrating work stoppage that is keeping billions in merchandise trapped portside.
Labor disputes have been dragging on causing slowdowns at the Port and on Thursday - a shutdown.
The Port of Oakland is quiet, but vessels are lined and ready to offload.
On Thursday, 29 West Coast ports from Seattle to San Diego were shut down.
There will be limited operations on Friday and then a work stoppage that continues through the holiday weekend.
The standstill is part of a labor dispute between dockworkers and their employers. Negotiations between the union and the Pacific Maritime Association are ongoing.
Many are fed up and want the federal government to step in.
But U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, was in San Francisco on Thursday, says now is not the right time to intervene.
"This is not just a damage to our economy. This also is going to hurt global trade. And so, we really are urging and encouraging the parties to resolve this at the negotiating table, and to do so now," said Pritzker.
The ongoing work slowdown and weekend closure is threatening produce and meat companies.
Producers worry these perishable items will wilt and rot before reaching their destinations.
