Thanks for giving labor a fair shake. I remember in 2021 and 2022 everyone going on about the ship que. “Are you guys on strike? Why can’t you just unload the ships faster?” And put the cans WHERE? All they had to do was turn off the talking heads and drive a couple miles and see for themselves. Alameda corridor road lanes completely full of trucks hauling cans. 710 completely full. Rail lines along Alameda full of cans. Can’t empty a port any faster than the rest of the infrastructure can absorb it. POLA/POLB is already open 24/7, but if Walmart doesn’t want the load at 0430, the terminal operator isn’t going to dispatch manning for the 3rd shift.
Thanks for opening up the issue from boths sides. The general news folks are clueless in their reporting, so I appreciate the news from another mariner.
The problem is these company’s are making record profits more then they ever have but still want to squeeze the drops out that trickle down to us. They want less longshoremen on the docks but also record speed getting the ships in and out. These greedy companies keep pushing and pushing just to make Pennie’s more than they did last year. If it wasn’t for unions fighting back they’d have us working none stop for a pittance with no safety no benefits and zero retirement. They’d work us dead and move on. #ILA #PortofBoston
The problem is these company’s are making record profits more then they ever have but still want to squeeze the drops out that trickle down to us. They want less longshoremen on the docks but also record speed getting the ships in and out. These greedy companies keep pushing and pushing just to make Pennie’s more than they did last year. If it wasn’t for unions fighting back they’d have us working none stop for a pittance with no safety no benefits and zero retirement. They’d work us dead and move on. #ILA #PortofBoston
I sat on our Unions' executive board for 6 years and figured the unions won't be happy until there is only one member left making 100 billion dollars per hour and paying 100% of it in union dues. Having said that the companies won't be happy until there is only one worldwide fully automated company that makes everything and operates tax free.
I’m A Longshoreman Out Of Local 1422 Tampa. Very Informative video and yes this is going to get deep with this being a election year. We Are Ready To Fight World Wide Union Strong Solidarity 👍💪
Port of Charleston landed highest for US ports at 53. Why is the Port of Houston not on the list? It is such a valuable port to the Gulf Coast region and handles a lot of tonnage, so curious why it got left off of the list? Great job as always Sal! You have me interested in a topic that I might not be so interested in without your channel.
I'm sorry, but I have to charge you with trespassing. Yes, it means you can't get a job, can't rent an apartment or be trusted in any manner. Welcome to Washington State, where we solve all problems with trespassing charges. That may sound like a joke, but it's not. I grew up here and I had to move back here. Trespassing threats are still the nasty stick used to stop anyone from improving anything. I got charged with a warning because I wasn't big on that face thingie. 6 months i couldn't ride public transportation without getting put in jail on criminal trespassing charges. This ridiculous abuse is used everywhere against anyone wanting to improve something or having a hard time with how something is. It's a brutal abuse that nobody here wants to talk about.
I wouldn’t put much stock in those numbers. It could be so many factors like when do they start counting the time… like if they start counting when the port pilot takes over? What if a higher percentage of your cargo is RoRo or smaller Jones act ships? Etc Etc.
@@CrispyCircuits welcome to Washington where your drivers license number is your prison number. Complementary gang tats for members of the I hate Bob Furgison and Jay Inslee clubs.
Up in the Great Lakes, the Michipicoten's hull developed a 14 ft crack a few days back. A 72 yr old ore carrier. She got the flooding under control and was allowed alongside in Thunder Bay. Investigation found no collision so it is likely just age of the steel. Here's a nice video of a buoy tender departing Duluth, followed by a 1000' tug/barge. Impressive narrow channel passage under a lift bridge. video: Ships Departing Duluth in Response to Michipicoten’s Distress Call (6/8/24)
Dear Sal - thank-you for a your fair, factual, and historically accurate reporting. The internet needs more content like this, imo. I'm writing to pose a question and to ask if you might be interested in exploring a part of maritime history close to my heart.... the question: Does the Maritime Academy still accept cats? My humble suggestion for a historic piece of common interest: Ship's cats. I know cats have served in most, if not all, of the world's national naval forces and maritime industry, but this subject doesn't get near the coverage of such drivel as trained dogs and even rodents that are so popular in popular media, but very little is now known in the meme-scape regards the venerable feline heroes. I understand that you probably a lot to fill your airtime, but I think the historical piece would make a nice standalone that you could use at schools, too. TY for your time, and ty for the podcast.
I worked for companies that automated factories from the 1970's-2000's by building special machines. A big driver of automation was unions. The inefficiencies I saw were remarkable. Especially contract language that allowed employees to sit idle, or only do limited work. Eventually, I could tell if a company would fail by just watching the employees while installing machinery. Within a year or so the company would close, move to another part of the country, or move overseas. There was a time when unions served a vital function, but anymore they work for more money, and maximum completion time for workers to complete a task. The success of the company strangely is not part of the equation. Employees should receive a fair wage and benefits. Profits rise and fall. They can ask for a share of the profits when they share in covering company losses. I once worked for a man who took no wages from the company. He lived off his savings and his wife's job. I never missed getting a check, and the company insurance paid for the birth costs of my first 2 children. He eventually had to sell the company at a loss.
Sal, nice well balanced update thanks. Have you been reading about the recent trouble in Alaska with the breakdown of one of TOTE Maritime's ships? Lots of empty shelves in the grocery stores here. They are starting to get caught up a bit now, but it has been quite noticeable.
Here in Boston we’ve been hearing it might happen. The clerks will get the brunt of it with automation. I feel for them but on the other hand they’re the biggest money makers on the port with the highest amount of hours. The job looks incredibly easy but important. I’m in solidarity with all my union brothers and if we have to strike we definitely will. I just hope the ILA takes care of its members when and if we do. Not all of us make 250-350k a year like the clerks do. Some of us live paycheck to paycheck ship to ship. All the money we pay in dues so the executives can have their huge salary’s and golden umbrellas when they lose an election or retire. I hope they trickle some down to supplement us if we all strike. Buy for contracts we should get what the west coast got. The raises etc. we don’t need automation here in Boston it won’t save time or money. It’ll cost more to set up and maintain then paying out men for 20 years. #ILA #PortofBoston
Now wait, what’s the difference in pay between long shore men and execs? And how are profits for shipper companies? In the end, the rest of us wait for merchandise due to ‘just in time’ stocking policies…
What is the diff? Class. Class is the difference. Hard to get containers out of the port when you have a union boy dragging a tire iron around and hanging out in chopped up container for half his shift. You get in trouble if you are smart enough to remove and replace three bolts to change a mud flap on a chassis. Got to wait for the union hack to accomplish this. Takes me 3 minutes. Takes a union commie a half hour. They are already lazy and entitled. Give more money and they get even slower. I'm speaking from years of experience with more than one port. Unions WERE important. Now they are a hinderance.
I just cleared a major hurdle if I was going to stay where I'm at. All good. I have a huge shopping list. Need to hurry before everyone boycotts sales to the US.
Thanks for the heads up Sal. I'll be keeping this in mind for the future. Maybe international might become more lucrative to look for should I/we need. And oh about November... there is a 3rd candidate! A younger fresh face (although he does appear VERY hardened) who is somewhat new to politics and has not run for president before. And that's true!!
I keep an eye on what truck driving jobs are open for guys here in PA and always see intermodal positions open. No one wants to sit waiting at the port for hours every day in NJ or MD waiting and not making any money.
So they automated some port functions and that made the union want to take their toys and go home. As far as I know, Savanah, Houston, Charleston and Jacksonville are non-union ports. Wonder if they will see an increase from this?
Ila 🇺🇲 work puts everything you see in stores from medicine to cars you drive these hard working men and women work around the clock from hot scorting summers to the blistering winters all while these companies rake in billions almost trillions of dollars I stand with the brave men and women who work in the ila and we back the ila leaders !!!! ILA 🇺🇲
How much of this from ship simply getting to large to even inter U.S. ports? And how much simply because Business consider maintaining anything a loss?
I picked up a few loads at Savannah, I drive a 53' dry van so the freight was already unloaded off containers and was palletized, and I can say they def were not fast or efficient, but Ive seen a lot worse also ( IM LOOKING AT YOU LONG BEACH) so Im not 100% on that ranking list?
⚓️ ILA!!! No way…. Rising tide floats all boats. ILWU is the model. 🌈 Regarding regional port areas… in California there is a lot of underutilized land that is available for development.
I think this involves a broader question about what to do with people whose jobs that were once steady careers are now being automated. No idea what an efficient and fair solution is.
What they did at the Long Beach container terminal is they retained the crane operators, but have them just watching a TV screen in case the automated crane malfunctions.
We care because they always say they want to cut this they need to cut that. When in reality they’re making more profit than ever before. They hate paying more money to contend with higher costs for us and to keep up with inflation and cost of living. For instance The shipping companies are trying to go after our double time. They’ve succeeded with some of our locals and now going after the rest. We’re talking about a tiny minuscule expense for them but to us is huge. If they could they’d cut the workforce down 50% but make the rest of us work 100% more for even less money.
My question is - Where does ILA really fall into the efficiency issue? Because the problem I see is more with the truck drivers than the gate system. Are those drivers ILA members? What is ILA doing to improve the pay, training, and recruiting of truck drivers? The answer to all of them is - No and/or NOTHING. The ILA needs to stop bitching about automation "taking jobs" and instead focus on where the problem is - the trucking. These containers need to get in/out of the port, whether via rail or via truck. Rail isn't much of an issue, but trucking is.
its the set up and workers. half the time getting in a port and checking in is a head ache, somehow they cant seem to get that right at any port i ever went to. then you will sit next to the can and the loader will look at you like you got 5 heads while txtn for 20 mins then pulls off and comes back at some point...vs just get the can on the chassis and keep it moving
Speaking of the different issues involved in the entire port operation, I keep hearing varying and contradictory accounts on how much a certain organisation that begins with "M" and ends with "afia" still wants what it thinks is "its share" of incoming commodities, especially in NY, which adds in part to the total time delay between ship and gate. Is this really still a problem in the day and age of containers?
Define mafia. Define commodities. Even without containers I don’t know how much leakage will occur when a pallet of kiwis is $2,000 and they’re accounted for before they got loaded on the other side.
Habemus Papam!! Aside from the smoke, it reminds me of labor relations in the airline industry back in the 80's and 90's. Is there anything in the mechanism of the applicable labor law here that is the equivalent of the Presidential Emergency Board in the Railway Labor Act?
talking about containers. the ones on the Dali are now 6 weeks late arriving in singapore. Is no one chasing their products? Have the containers been impounded by the us government or cant the shipping company afford the cost of replacement shipping? Caroline
Hi Sal - I saw a story on China having a rail transport ship that the USA bought, CHEYENNE, which is a large vessel to transport " trains" (locomotives). Can you do a story on this? Thanks
If a relatively small group of people can bring major issues to global shipping as a means to negotiate wages, that's enough reason to want to automate those people out of the system. If there's an effective and efficient alternative to human labor, pension/retrain the current human labor out. The job is an endangered species anyway.
ILA better have 90%+ labor position fill rate if they are complaining like that. It's 2024, working population is shrinking and every industry is hurting for workers, but the Ila is so flush they need to fight for positions _signing in trucks?_ I want to know the staff level history of what went automated, because if they aren't able to keep the post full its going to back up the whole dock... Requiring something with more uptime...
Interesting that Philly is the top of the us ports for moving cans off the ship; but i guess that's why we call it ship day and they definitely get priority over getting cans on our trucks. That's the thing why not have enough staff to run the ships and load the trucks, not either or, and i never understood all the wasted time sitting next to the can but the top loader txtn or sleep for 20 mins then pulls off. Or if your can was somehow dug in good luck or try again tomorrow. I will say they seem to be trying in the last 3 or 4 months to be somewhat more efficient-ish but then again i don't know if the port is even set up right and changes being made seem to be from behind a desk not on the ground. its a war zone just trying to make a line to get into the port lol. is it the unions or the employees themselves and the untouchable workers culture.
Charleston stands out because it's an operation of the state government of South Carolina. The workers are state employees who are prohibited from belonging to labor unions. Is this strike happens, Charleston will become very busy.
@@ArtStoneUS ILA workers still work at the Port of Charleston. My main client is required to use ILA workers to refurbish chassis as contractually ILA workers must perform all repairs to shipping containers. By extension, they also must perform repairs on the chassis.
i am upset with the many foreign countries managing our seaports even Chinese. all that national wealth going back to foreign countries. also security problems
CORRECTION: The West Coast Longshoremen (ILWU) do not and cannot strike. Every time modern Longshore workers get accuse of striking, its actually been a LOCK OUT. As I understand it, it’s illegal for Longshore workers to strike. We may picket in support of others, or when locked out. I’m guessing that East and Gulf Coast Longshore workers aren’t allowed to strike either. Thank you.
Savannah Local 1475 has filed with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. This filing allows Local 1475 the right to strike beginning Oct 1, 2024. This was mandated by the International. Many other locals have done this as well. The president of IWLU has also sent a letter to president of ILA pledging solidarity with the ILA in these negotiations.
"Ports America, which sounds very American, but is in fact Canadian"... which is in America, North America even. It's just not in the USA. I'm also guilty of equating America with the USA and trying to undo that bias.
@@wgowshipping true. The balance I try to find is being accepting of anyone from North or South America that claims to be from America, including US citizens.
we can't casually mention the obvious any more about the 2 spring chickens running for president. apparently the US has no other candidates. it would be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Im all for automation, waiting 5hours to get 1 box out of jacksonville, is ridiculous!!! And no one is talking about the chassis mechanics that have been on strike for the kast 3 months.
From the port/terminal/depot side, the people running them from the local authorities don't have the power or the money to actually make them efficient. The relationship between the parties involved in every direction is adversarial and that's not helping anyone or anything get better.
The American consumer is the main ingredient in this global goulash. We are a population of individuals from each and every place that you have mentioned along with something no other place has. Disposable Cash! It's funny that nobody has a chart comparison of the amount of money earned from each container and the country responsible for it.
So, USMX members break the contract and then they're surprised that the ILA reacts... hmmm. Not a good move. All parties need to set down and get something worked out and stop with the foolishness.
Sal, you got something wrong there starting from 11:19 Table 2.1 shows the IMPROVEMENT by an average of 19h in NAM ports from 2022 to 2023. That is why that figure is in green (good) and in parenthesis (indicating a negative number, i.e. less hours). That is clear also from the explanation of the table in page 18 of the report
This is the statement from the report under that table: "At a global level, on average each port arrival decreased by 1.8 hours, as illustrated in Table 2.2. The largest increase in average arrival time was witnessed in North America (USA and Canada) with an average increase in time of 19.1 hours over all vessel sizes. By contrast, performance improved in Africa (Sub-Sahara) with an average 2.0-hour improvement in arrival time across all vessel sizes. Improvements in East Asia and Southeast Asia were also recorded."
@@wgowshipping you're right about this paragraph, but doesn't it conflict with the one in page 18? "Aggregate change in quantity of hours" and then they use a parenthesis which usually indicates a negative number. And the green color, why use that for the very negative, yellow for the slightly negative and red for the positive figures? Also, in the paragraph you mention, it references table 2.2 and we are talking about table 2.1. It's very confusing to me... My interpretation is that it went down by 19.1 hours from 22 to 23 (which kind of makes sense since 2022 was the height of the crazy bottleneck and vessel queue that happened in the US, remembering that post by Flexport CEO Ryan Peterson). What do you think?
I think that paragraph you mention in page 19 is wrong! Whoever wrote that misinterpreted the table. Another piece of evidence is that they say that "decreased by 1.8 hours" and that 1.8 average figure is also in parenthesis, like the 19.1 figure for NAM
If you want to make negotiations between unions and capital more productive, give workers access to a significant share of profits. That will align interests. Oh, capital will never do that? Well, now we know where the problem is.
Labor could have bought up stock with their dues any time they wanted. But they don't want the risk, just the rewards, of ownership. Now, to be fair, you're right that capital is slow to give up profits unless they absolutely have to. They do sometimes pay executives in stock, though, so one might be able to convince them to pay workers in stock as well. *shrug* Edit: my point is that problems lie on both sides, not just one. Please dont misunderstand me as trying to say that the problem lies only with labor (unions). I've also suggested a compromise, but not sure how reasonable either side would find said suggestion.
I've got a shirt like that but mine is nicer. Mine has leaves on a black background like that but with blue flowers. It was an "end of season" purchase from C&A in Banská Bystrica in Slovensko (Slovakia to you). It cost me €4.99 (that's about the same in USD.) Cheap shirts like ours are jolly good value for money, aren't the Sal. Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves. Good video as usual.
as an ila worker in the south we have been raped for years, some ports are still at $19.50 an hour, hell we don't even get hazard pay, and don't get me started on the nepotism!!!!!
As a trucker I have to say we take issue with automation… however comparing auto in/outgates at UP Oakland compared to human interactions at the port of Oakland I have to say… Please god automate the ingates and outgates
I remember hearing about the federal government intervening a few years ago in the negotiations between the ILA and USMX. I think that there's going to have to be something in the provisions to allow for further automation
Thanks for giving labor a fair shake.
I remember in 2021 and 2022 everyone going on about the ship que. “Are you guys on strike? Why can’t you just unload the ships faster?”
And put the cans WHERE? All they had to do was turn off the talking heads and drive a couple miles and see for themselves.
Alameda corridor road lanes completely full of trucks hauling cans. 710 completely full. Rail lines along Alameda full of cans.
Can’t empty a port any faster than the rest of the infrastructure can absorb it.
POLA/POLB is already open 24/7, but if Walmart doesn’t want the load at 0430, the terminal operator isn’t going to dispatch manning for the 3rd shift.
American stevedores are the laziest in the entire world due to unions. It's ridiculous. Just the way dems like it.
Thanks for opening up the issue from boths sides. The general news folks are clueless in their reporting, so I appreciate the news from another mariner.
Exactly 💯 as a merchant mariner it's a mess across the board smh
The problem is these company’s are making record profits more then they ever have but still want to squeeze the drops out that trickle down to us. They want less longshoremen on the docks but also record speed getting the ships in and out. These greedy companies keep pushing and pushing just to make Pennie’s more than they did last year. If it wasn’t for unions fighting back they’d have us working none stop for a pittance with no safety no benefits and zero retirement. They’d work us dead and move on. #ILA #PortofBoston
The problem is these company’s are making record profits more then they ever have but still want to squeeze the drops out that trickle down to us. They want less longshoremen on the docks but also record speed getting the ships in and out. These greedy companies keep pushing and pushing just to make Pennie’s more than they did last year. If it wasn’t for unions fighting back they’d have us working none stop for a pittance with no safety no benefits and zero retirement. They’d work us dead and move on. #ILA #PortofBoston
1:40 or so. "It's going to be terrible." Indeed, and no indication it will get better in the next decade...
Truer words.......
If only third parties and independents would put up a good fight. At least Jose Vega is taking on Richie Torres in THE BRONX
@@1MrAngel1 Until people actually vote for a 3rd party candidate, it doesn't matter how good a fight they put up.
I sat on our Unions' executive board for 6 years and figured the unions won't be happy until there is only one member left making 100 billion dollars per hour and paying 100% of it in union dues. Having said that the companies won't be happy until there is only one worldwide fully automated company that makes everything and operates tax free.
Unions are enabling companies to justify the cost of automation.
@@footballdrills3434 As if they wouldn't do that anyway ? LOL !
@@footballdrills3434😂😂😂
Sal for President!!! 😁
He's TOO YOUNG!
C'mon Man!
I'm Not Joking!
@@phlogistanjones2722 whew, is that all. I was afraid you were going to say "that ship has sailed" 😂
Why would you do that to him ?
@@skutchBlobaum 😁 Sal could handle it!!!
"Papal selection"
Sir, shipping is a religion to you !
God bless you Sal....
Never a dull day with you, is there Sal?
I’m A Longshoreman Out Of Local 1422 Tampa. Very Informative video and yes this is going to get deep with this being a election year. We Are Ready To Fight World Wide Union Strong Solidarity 👍💪
You're a fantastic educator, I really love your videos.
Port of Charleston landed highest for US ports at 53.
Why is the Port of Houston not on the list? It is such a valuable port to the Gulf Coast region and handles a lot of tonnage, so curious why it got left off of the list?
Great job as always Sal! You have me interested in a topic that I might not be so interested in without your channel.
Exactly 💯
This was about containers not general cargo. It would br interesting to see a breakdown of differednt types of ports.
❤ Thank you Dr. Sea! (Dr. Sal Mercogliano Ph.D.)
❤You are verifiably the best! 😎
Wow! Port of Tacoma sucks. We really need you to come and give our port commissioners a swift kick where they sit!
I'm sorry, but I have to charge you with trespassing. Yes, it means you can't get a job, can't rent an apartment or be trusted in any manner. Welcome to Washington State, where we solve all problems with trespassing charges.
That may sound like a joke, but it's not. I grew up here and I had to move back here. Trespassing threats are still the nasty stick used to stop anyone from improving anything. I got charged with a warning because I wasn't big on that face thingie. 6 months i couldn't ride public transportation without getting put in jail on criminal trespassing charges. This ridiculous abuse is used everywhere against anyone wanting to improve something or having a hard time with how something is. It's a brutal abuse that nobody here wants to talk about.
@@CrispyCircuitsagreed in Washington the inmates run the asylum.
I wouldn’t put much stock in those numbers.
It could be so many factors like when do they start counting the time… like if they start counting when the port pilot takes over? What if a higher percentage of your cargo is RoRo or smaller Jones act ships? Etc Etc.
@@CrispyCircuits welcome to Washington where your drivers license number is your prison number. Complementary gang tats for members of the I hate Bob Furgison and Jay Inslee clubs.
Com🫵nist dystopia! Y’all voted for this! You were probably lied to as par!
I really appreciate the Union Port workers, like the truckers they keep our country going. I trust a human being in charge instead of an algorithm.
You must not know many union port workers in that case.
Be the change or get changed. Humans are far more prone to mistakes than automation.
Doesnt matter who they are, but what they do at work, are you allowed to step foot on a port?@@perfectman3077
@@jimmuo9286so is your dog, you gonna trade him out for a robot? 😂
Almost to 300k neighbor, can’t wait for the 100, 200 and 300k subs video 😊
th-cam.com/users/shortsGxZSyKeMiy4?feature=share
@@wgowshipping damn I’m old. I forgot you did that but I must have seen it because it shows I already liked it 🤣
@@wgowshippingas a merchant mariner thanks for the information 👍
Up in the Great Lakes, the Michipicoten's hull developed a 14 ft crack a few days back. A 72 yr old ore carrier. She got the flooding under control and was allowed alongside in Thunder Bay. Investigation found no collision so it is likely just age of the steel.
Here's a nice video of a buoy tender departing Duluth, followed by a 1000' tug/barge. Impressive narrow channel passage under a lift bridge.
video: Ships Departing Duluth in Response to Michipicoten’s Distress Call (6/8/24)
It is heartening to see that you are as excited about your forthcoming Presidential Election as I am about our imminent UK General Election.
This will be the first GE I won't have stayed up for in my adult life.
@@nothandmade9686 Me too!
Sal, you are the Jimmy Buffet of shipping with that shirt and humor.😂😂
Appreciate all you do!
Thanks Sal
Another fascinating video Sal. Thanks alot 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸👍👍
Funny opening segment. Enjoyed thanks.
Dear Sal - thank-you for a your fair, factual, and historically accurate reporting. The internet needs more content like this, imo.
I'm writing to pose a question and to ask if you might be interested in exploring a part of maritime history close to my heart....
the question: Does the Maritime Academy still accept cats?
My humble suggestion for a historic piece of common interest: Ship's cats. I know cats have served in most, if not all, of the world's national naval forces and maritime industry, but this subject doesn't get near the coverage of such drivel as trained dogs and even rodents that are so popular in popular media, but very little is now known in the meme-scape regards the venerable feline heroes.
I understand that you probably a lot to fill your airtime, but I think the historical piece would make a nice standalone that you could use at schools, too.
TY for your time, and ty for the podcast.
Thank you Prof. Sal. Always so much valuable info for us. Great stuff.
I worked for companies that automated factories from the 1970's-2000's by building special machines. A big driver of automation was unions. The inefficiencies I saw were remarkable. Especially contract language that allowed employees to sit idle, or only do limited work. Eventually, I could tell if a company would fail by just watching the employees while installing machinery. Within a year or so the company would close, move to another part of the country, or move overseas. There was a time when unions served a vital function, but anymore they work for more money, and maximum completion time for workers to complete a task. The success of the company strangely is not part of the equation. Employees should receive a fair wage and benefits. Profits rise and fall. They can ask for a share of the profits when they share in covering company losses. I once worked for a man who took no wages from the company. He lived off his savings and his wife's job. I never missed getting a check, and the company insurance paid for the birth costs of my first 2 children. He eventually had to sell the company at a loss.
Thanks Sal. Watching from the Philippines.
I live next to Port Vancouver. I can see it from my living room window :)
... and the hits jus' keep on coming, Sal !!
Love your episodes!
Hey .. we not very small in Philly.. we are huge in fruit!
You are also the most efficient in the US!
Exactly 💯 as a merchant mariner Philadelphia port took a lot of Baltimore shipments due to the bridge collapse that really boost philly economy
Hey Boston wasn’t too far behind at 73rd. Only 4 ports in the US more efficient then us
What about inspection of containers
good update 👍👍
Sal, nice well balanced update thanks. Have you been reading about the recent trouble in Alaska with the breakdown of one of TOTE Maritime's ships? Lots of empty shelves in the grocery stores here. They are starting to get caught up a bit now, but it has been quite noticeable.
Very interesting. Thanks.
Hi Sal. Well,now would be a good time. For them. 👍
Great Video
All the power to them.
Thanks Sal.
Here in Boston we’ve been hearing it might happen. The clerks will get the brunt of it with automation. I feel for them but on the other hand they’re the biggest money makers on the port with the highest amount of hours. The job looks incredibly easy but important. I’m in solidarity with all my union brothers and if we have to strike we definitely will. I just hope the ILA takes care of its members when and if we do. Not all of us make 250-350k a year like the clerks do. Some of us live paycheck to paycheck ship to ship. All the money we pay in dues so the executives can have their huge salary’s and golden umbrellas when they lose an election or retire. I hope they trickle some down to supplement us if we all strike. Buy for contracts we should get what the west coast got. The raises etc. we don’t need automation here in Boston it won’t save time or money. It’ll cost more to set up and maintain then paying out men for 20 years. #ILA #PortofBoston
Now wait, what’s the difference in pay between long shore men and execs? And how are profits for shipper companies? In the end, the rest of us wait for merchandise due to ‘just in time’ stocking policies…
What is the diff? Class. Class is the difference. Hard to get containers out of the port when you have a union boy dragging a tire iron around and hanging out in chopped up container for half his shift. You get in trouble if you are smart enough to remove and replace three bolts to change a mud flap on a chassis. Got to wait for the union hack to accomplish this. Takes me 3 minutes. Takes a union commie a half hour. They are already lazy and entitled. Give more money and they get even slower. I'm speaking from years of experience with more than one port. Unions WERE important. Now they are a hinderance.
Good evening Doc, do you think Baltimore will strike after what just happened to the FSK Bridge?
On yesterday's episode of What's going on with shipping: white smoke bellowed as Sal has been elected Pontiff of Shipping
Thanks Sal!
Now I need to stock up on stuff.
Peace and hello from the Great White North (CA). 🍻
I just cleared a major hurdle if I was going to stay where I'm at. All good. I have a huge shopping list. Need to hurry before everyone boycotts sales to the US.
Good job 🧐
Your the best ❤
Thanks for the heads up Sal. I'll be keeping this in mind for the future. Maybe international might become more lucrative to look for should I/we need. And oh about November... there is a 3rd candidate! A younger fresh face (although he does appear VERY hardened) who is somewhat new to politics and has not run for president before. And that's true!!
Thanks!
Do those ports in other places of the world work more than five shifts a week?
Excellent episode, as usual. What are the issues/solutions to clearing cargo out of ports?
You are awesome, Sal. You serioulsy RULE shipping info! Thanks, man❤🤍💙
I keep an eye on what truck driving jobs are open for guys here in PA and always see intermodal positions open. No one wants to sit waiting at the port for hours every day in NJ or MD waiting and not making any money.
So they automated some port functions and that made the union want to take their toys and go home. As far as I know, Savanah, Houston, Charleston and Jacksonville are non-union ports. Wonder if they will see an increase from this?
Houston is most definitely union labor. I've been on both sides out here for almost 7 years now.
Savannah and Charleston both have ILA, I'm in the one in Savannah ILA 1475
Ila 🇺🇲 work puts everything you see in stores from medicine to cars you drive these hard working men and women work around the clock from hot scorting summers to the blistering winters all while these companies rake in billions almost trillions of dollars I stand with the brave men and women who work in the ila and we back the ila leaders !!!! ILA 🇺🇲
How much of this from ship simply getting to large to even inter U.S. ports? And how much simply because Business consider maintaining anything a loss?
I picked up a few loads at Savannah, I drive a 53' dry van so the freight was already unloaded off containers and was palletized, and I can say they def were not fast or efficient, but Ive seen a lot worse also ( IM LOOKING AT YOU LONG BEACH) so Im not 100% on that ranking list?
Sudden (even if kind of predictable) increases in the cost of shipping impacts everyone. Even if they don't realize it.
A very strategic time to strike with all of problems with shipping the last few years.
⚓️ ILA!!! No way…. Rising tide floats all boats. ILWU is the model. 🌈 Regarding regional port areas… in California there is a lot of underutilized land that is available for development.
I think this involves a broader question about what to do with people whose jobs that were once steady careers are now being automated. No idea what an efficient and fair solution is.
What they did at the Long Beach container terminal is they retained the crane operators, but have them just watching a TV screen in case the automated crane malfunctions.
I’m only 2 minutes in, and already LMAO. Now, on to the shipping story.
I dont understand why dock workers are concerned with shipping line profits - The ports employ them - What am I missing?
We care because they always say they want to cut this they need to cut that. When in reality they’re making more profit than ever before. They hate paying more money to contend with higher costs for us and to keep up with inflation and cost of living. For instance The shipping companies are trying to go after our double time. They’ve succeeded with some of our locals and now going after the rest. We’re talking about a tiny minuscule expense for them but to us is huge. If they could they’d cut the workforce down 50% but make the rest of us work 100% more for even less money.
Give us some more detail about this automation issue when you can Sal.
My question is - Where does ILA really fall into the efficiency issue? Because the problem I see is more with the truck drivers than the gate system. Are those drivers ILA members? What is ILA doing to improve the pay, training, and recruiting of truck drivers?
The answer to all of them is - No and/or NOTHING. The ILA needs to stop bitching about automation "taking jobs" and instead focus on where the problem is - the trucking. These containers need to get in/out of the port, whether via rail or via truck. Rail isn't much of an issue, but trucking is.
its the set up and workers. half the time getting in a port and checking in is a head ache, somehow they cant seem to get that right at any port i ever went to. then you will sit next to the can and the loader will look at you like you got 5 heads while txtn for 20 mins then pulls off and comes back at some point...vs just get the can on the chassis and keep it moving
Speaking of the different issues involved in the entire port operation, I keep hearing varying and contradictory accounts on how much a certain organisation that begins with "M" and ends with "afia" still wants what it thinks is "its share" of incoming commodities, especially in NY, which adds in part to the total time delay between ship and gate. Is this really still a problem in the day and age of containers?
Define mafia. Define commodities.
Even without containers I don’t know how much leakage will occur when a pallet of kiwis is $2,000 and they’re accounted for before they got loaded on the other side.
Habemus Papam!!
Aside from the smoke, it reminds me of labor relations in the airline industry back in the 80's and 90's. Is there anything in the mechanism of the applicable labor law here that is the equivalent of the Presidential Emergency Board in the Railway Labor Act?
You`ve already had Strikes, most recently - DALI!
talking about containers. the ones on the Dali are now 6 weeks late arriving in singapore. Is no one chasing their products? Have the containers been impounded by the us government or cant the shipping company afford the cost of replacement shipping? Caroline
If the agreement has expired, how can they violate it?
Hi Sal - I saw a story on China having a rail transport ship that the USA bought, CHEYENNE, which is a large vessel to transport "
trains" (locomotives). Can you do a story on this? Thanks
If a relatively small group of people can bring major issues to global shipping as a means to negotiate wages, that's enough reason to want to automate those people out of the system.
If there's an effective and efficient alternative to human labor, pension/retrain the current human labor out. The job is an endangered species anyway.
ILA better have 90%+ labor position fill rate if they are complaining like that. It's 2024, working population is shrinking and every industry is hurting for workers, but the Ila is so flush they need to fight for positions _signing in trucks?_
I want to know the staff level history of what went automated, because if they aren't able to keep the post full its going to back up the whole dock... Requiring something with more uptime...
Interesting that Philly is the top of the us ports for moving cans off the ship; but i guess that's why we call it ship day and they definitely get priority over getting cans on our trucks. That's the thing why not have enough staff to run the ships and load the trucks, not either or, and i never understood all the wasted time sitting next to the can but the top loader txtn or sleep for 20 mins then pulls off. Or if your can was somehow dug in good luck or try again tomorrow. I will say they seem to be trying in the last 3 or 4 months to be somewhat more efficient-ish but then again i don't know if the port is even set up right and changes being made seem to be from behind a desk not on the ground. its a war zone just trying to make a line to get into the port lol. is it the unions or the employees themselves and the untouchable workers culture.
Love the white smoke joke. Catholic? I remember the event last year you are referring to. That redefined "Last minute."
How do California's regulations on truckers and rail roads affect the off-load rate in their terminals?
Dang Sal you missed our Port of Charleston two spots ahead of Philly. Nevertheless my rage has subsided and I appreciate the content.
Charleston stands out because it's an operation of the state government of South Carolina. The workers are state employees who are prohibited from belonging to labor unions. Is this strike happens, Charleston will become very busy.
@@ArtStoneUS ILA workers still work at the Port of Charleston. My main client is required to use ILA workers to refurbish chassis as contractually ILA workers must perform all repairs to shipping containers. By extension, they also must perform repairs on the chassis.
i am upset with the many foreign countries managing our seaports even Chinese. all that national wealth going back to foreign countries. also security problems
CORRECTION: The West Coast Longshoremen (ILWU) do not and cannot strike. Every time modern Longshore workers get accuse of striking, its actually been a LOCK OUT. As I understand it, it’s illegal for Longshore workers to strike. We may picket in support of others, or when locked out. I’m guessing that East and Gulf Coast Longshore workers aren’t allowed to strike either.
Thank you.
Savannah Local 1475 has filed with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. This filing allows Local 1475 the right to strike beginning Oct 1, 2024. This was mandated by the International. Many other locals have done this as well. The president of IWLU has also sent a letter to president of ILA pledging solidarity with the ILA in these negotiations.
Nice Shirt
"Ports America, which sounds very American, but is in fact Canadian"... which is in America, North America even. It's just not in the USA. I'm also guilty of equating America with the USA and trying to undo that bias.
Of course, but we don't call citizens of the US United Staters. 🤣
@@wgowshipping true. The balance I try to find is being accepting of anyone from North or South America that claims to be from America, including US citizens.
ILA Local 953 strong 💪👷♂️⚓️
Spot on with the presidential election and shipping news, love you, Sal!
we can't casually mention the obvious any more about the 2 spring chickens running for president. apparently the US has no other candidates. it would be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Old Father Time will sort it out eventually.
Im all for automation, waiting 5hours to get 1 box out of jacksonville, is ridiculous!!! And no one is talking about the chassis mechanics that have been on strike for the kast 3 months.
What if Amazon bought a port? I’m sure they’d find a way to make it efficient, lol
From the port/terminal/depot side, the people running them from the local authorities don't have the power or the money to actually make them efficient. The relationship between the parties involved in every direction is adversarial and that's not helping anyone or anything get better.
Logical and necessary human progress is contrary to their agreement.....well then, I think I see the problem.
The American consumer is the main ingredient in this global goulash. We are a population of individuals from each and every place that you have mentioned along with something no other place has. Disposable Cash! It's funny that nobody has a chart comparison of the amount of money earned from each container and the country responsible for it.
Port infrastructure needs an all hands on deck, right now, attention.
2008 Aramco Dock, La Porte, TX.
Dock Clerk complained about $125K salary(!/?)
So, USMX members break the contract and then they're surprised that the ILA reacts... hmmm. Not a good move. All parties need to set down and get something worked out and stop with the foolishness.
The employer did with automation
Sal, you got something wrong there starting from 11:19
Table 2.1 shows the IMPROVEMENT by an average of 19h in NAM ports from 2022 to 2023. That is why that figure is in green (good) and in parenthesis (indicating a negative number, i.e. less hours). That is clear also from the explanation of the table in page 18 of the report
This is the statement from the report under that table: "At a global level, on average each port arrival decreased by 1.8 hours, as illustrated in Table 2.2. The largest increase in average arrival time was witnessed in North America (USA and Canada) with an average increase in time of 19.1 hours over all vessel sizes. By contrast, performance improved in Africa (Sub-Sahara) with an average 2.0-hour improvement in arrival time across all vessel sizes. Improvements
in East Asia and Southeast Asia were also recorded."
@@wgowshipping you're right about this paragraph, but doesn't it conflict with the one in page 18? "Aggregate change in quantity of hours" and then they use a parenthesis which usually indicates a negative number. And the green color, why use that for the very negative, yellow for the slightly negative and red for the positive figures?
Also, in the paragraph you mention, it references table 2.2 and we are talking about table 2.1. It's very confusing to me...
My interpretation is that it went down by 19.1 hours from 22 to 23 (which kind of makes sense since 2022 was the height of the crazy bottleneck and vessel queue that happened in the US, remembering that post by Flexport CEO Ryan Peterson).
What do you think?
I think that paragraph you mention in page 19 is wrong! Whoever wrote that misinterpreted the table. Another piece of evidence is that they say that "decreased by 1.8 hours" and that 1.8 average figure is also in parenthesis, like the 19.1 figure for NAM
@@chicoktc There is some contradicting data, I agree. I went with the narrative vice the table.
If you want to make negotiations between unions and capital more productive, give workers access to a significant share of profits. That will align interests.
Oh, capital will never do that? Well, now we know where the problem is.
Labor could have bought up stock with their dues any time they wanted. But they don't want the risk, just the rewards, of ownership.
Now, to be fair, you're right that capital is slow to give up profits unless they absolutely have to. They do sometimes pay executives in stock, though, so one might be able to convince them to pay workers in stock as well. *shrug*
Edit: my point is that problems lie on both sides, not just one. Please dont misunderstand me as trying to say that the problem lies only with labor (unions). I've also suggested a compromise, but not sure how reasonable either side would find said suggestion.
I've got a shirt like that but mine is nicer. Mine has leaves on a black background like that but with blue flowers. It was an "end of season" purchase from C&A in Banská Bystrica in Slovensko (Slovakia to you). It cost me €4.99 (that's about the same in USD.) Cheap shirts like ours are jolly good value for money, aren't the Sal. Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves. Good video as usual.
This shirt is a gift from my son and I don't care where he buys it from.
i thought it was grey smoke
Strike is always good. Wages need to go up.
✊
as an ila worker in the south we have been raped for years, some ports are still at $19.50 an hour, hell we don't even get hazard pay, and don't get me started on the nepotism!!!!!
As a trucker I have to say we take issue with automation… however comparing auto in/outgates at UP Oakland compared to human interactions at the port of Oakland I have to say…
Please god automate the ingates and outgates
I remember hearing about the federal government intervening a few years ago in the negotiations between the ILA and USMX. I think that there's going to have to be something in the provisions to allow for further automation
The nj ports are so slow right now 😂😂 not sure we feel it
It’s about time we do more automation in our ports.
That's good sarcasm