Port Dispute That Held Up Adult Products Could Be Ending

LOS ANGELES—After nine months of negotiations, a tentative five-year contract has been reached between union dock workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and their employers. According to an article in the OC Register, details of the pact between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association were not immediately made available and the agreement needed to be approved by the union members. The dispute, which has delayed shipments of millions of dollars worth of goods—including shipments bound for various adult pleasure products manufacturers and distributors—and has gone on for almost a year. The existing contract expired July 1, and during negotiations, both sides blamed the other for problems that delayed unloading cargo from China and other nations, as well as shipping good to Asia. At various pleasure products trade shows in the past year, attendees have shared war stories about items being stuck in customs, as well as new collections unable to ship because they were stuck in port.  It wasn’t just the labor dispute, however, that held up shipments, according to the OC Register. Also contributing to the problem were newer oversized ships that forced the ports to upgrade and modernize their facilities, as well as simply carrying more cargo that couldn’t be unloaded as quickly. Dock workers reported back to work on Saturday, and in a joint statement the PMA and the ILWU presidents said the ports can now resume full operations.