Most shippers expect to decide by midsummer whether to divert cargo from the East and Gulf coasts to avoid possible longshore labor problems this fall, according to a Journal of Commerce poll.
The poll sought to gauge shippers’ contingency plans for the Sept. 30 expiration of the International Longshoremen’s Association contract, their plans for diverting cargo, and whether they consider labor problems likely. The poll, conducted June 22-23, drew 232 anonymous responses.
More than two-thirds of the respondents (158, or 68.1 percent) said they had contingency plans. One-fifth (48, or 20.6 percent) said they already had diverted cargo. Among those who had not diverted cargo, more than half said they planned to do so by the end of July.
