Progress on West Coast Port and Rail Labor Contract Negotiations
On July 15, in response to AAFA’s July 12 letter, President Biden announced the formation of the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB), which will spend the next 30 days holding hearings on the two-year-old stalled rail labor contract negotiations, recommending a new agreement at the end of the 30 days. During those 30 days, neither the railroads nor its 150,000 workers are allowed to engage in work actions. Meanwhile, some sources predict that the two sides in the West Coast port labor contract negotiations will reach an agreement by September with no work interruptions.