29-04-2025
West Coast Port Union Slams Trump's ‘Reckless, Shortsighted' Tariff Policy
As cargo entering major U.S. West Coast ports starts to slow down amid a deceleration in Chinese imports, the union representing dockworkers across the ocean freight hubs has made its opinion clear on where is stands on President Donald Trump's tariffs.
In a notice posted Monday, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said it 'unequivocally condemns' the recent tariffs the Trump administration has slapped on U.S. trade partners, calling them 'reckless' and 'shortsighted.'
More from Sourcing Journal
UPS Slashes 20,000 Jobs as it Weans Off Amazon
White House Calls Amazon's Reported Tariff Transparency Plans a 'Hostile and Political Act'
How to Achieve 'Smooth Sailing' Amid Tariff Turbulence
The statement echoes many of the complaints the tariffs' detractors have shouted since April 2, when the president first imposed country-specific reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, before pushing those duties back 90 days to make room for 10-percent baseline duties.
'Tariffs are taxes' that 'have begun to devastate American workers, harm critical sectors of the economy and line the pockets of the ultra-wealthy at the expense of hardworking families,' said the ILWU. 'The tariffs have also sown distrust among our allies and inflamed geopolitical tensions. These tariffs are nothing more than a direct attack on the working class and should be opposed outright.'
The union was critical of the 145-percent tariffs imposed on China, which has been the primary instigator for the slowing of imports. Roughly 45 percent of the cargo ending at the Port of Los Angeles typically originates in China, while a higher percentage (65 percent) goes to sister port Long Beach.
On Tuesday, L.A. port executive director Gene Seroka reiterated that there would be steep 35 percent annual import volume declines for the week of May 4-10 as more blank sailings occur on the trans-Pacific trade lane and ocean carriers scrap services on the route.
In its notice, the union highlighted one such example, in which Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced the cancellation of one of its shipping routes that was scheduled to launch in May. In total, six trans-Pacific lines have been withdrawn since February, most notably an Asia-to-Northwest U.S. and Canada service from Mediterranean Shipping Company's (MSC).
These blank sailings and scrapped services were driven by mass cancellations and postponements from U.S. importers that did not want to pay tariffs on products once they reached American soil.
ILWU workers have plenty of skin in the game that would influence their opinion of the tariffs. With the expected plummeting of imports, U.S. port activity is expected to suffer, which could trickle down to the dockworkers themselves. The ILWU brass said the constricted trade could lead to 'devastating' job losses for supply chain workers.
Beyond direct impacts, the union pointed to knock-on effects of these tariffs, like rising fuel costs and increased costs of construction materials. The union claims the indirect impacts have already led to layoffs as American businesses struggle to adapt. Trucking companies, for example, are starting to see the damage as they pick up lower volumes out of the West Coast and generate fewer revenue amid the elevated costs.
Citing a House Joint Economic Committee report in March, the ILWU said families will be forced to pay $1,600 more per year on basic goods and services like food, gas and household goods due to the tariffs.
The union also took another shot at Trump's trade policy by saying it was 'America First' in name only, and that would 'fuel economic instability that will ripple through every community in this country.'
'It is undeniable that decades of free trade agreements have negatively impacted American workers and prioritized corporate profits at the expense of good paying, union jobs in America,' the policy statement read. 'However, this haphazard and destructive tariff plan is a sad excuse for a 'fair trade' policy. We demand fair trade policies that put working class Americans first, protect jobs, and reduce taxes on the American people, not trade policies dictated by a president's whims.'
The ILWU's international executive board unanimously passed the official policy statement four days before the notice was posted on the union's website and social media pages.
The 42,000-member union also released a second statement reiterating that working people must have the right to unionize and collectively bargain.
'These rights belong to all workers, whether they work in the private or public sector,' the note said. 'Recent attacks on public sector union members in this country must be opposed outright by the entire labor movement.'
