Will They? Won't They? It Looks Imminent, Mr. President!With no contract, will the ILWU walk off the job and strike? Will the PMA lock out the workers as they did in 2002? If the West Coast ports are shut down at a cost to the country of nearly $2 billion a day, which seems likely given the breakdown in contract negotiations, thousands of containers coming into the U.S. and thousands more head out stuff with our exports will sit idle at the docks. Will the president invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to force the sides back to work by declaring a national emergency? Tune in to Manufacturing Talk Radio and get the latest update on how a port strike could further cripple America's manufacturing and potentially the whole economy for 2015.For those who have been following the recent ISM reports, and stories on mfgtalkradio.com one of the recurring concerns of respondents in both the manufacturing and service sector has been the congestion at West Coast Ports - which handled 43.5% of containerized cargo in the U.S and where transiting cargo accounted for 12.5% of US GDP - as a result of reduced work output by the local unions who have been more focused in recent weeks on ongoing wage hike negotiations.And according to the latest update from the 29 west coast ports that serve as the entry point of the bulk of Asia/Pac trade into and out of the US, things are about to get far worse for America's manufacturing base, because as RILA reported earlier, talks between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) representing port management, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) officially broke down on Wednesday, and without an agreement, experts have suggested that nearly 30 west coast ports could be shut down within a week.Special GuestsJoin us this Tuesday at 1PM EST with returning special guest Peter Friedmann: Executive Director, Agriculture Transportation Coalition, who plays a key role in developing U.S. and international ocean and waterborne transportation policy.Joining Peter will be Mark Hirzel, President, Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, Inc., Mark is the Customs Consultancy Manager for DHL Global Logistics, responsible for DHLs professional consulting services team in the United States.  Mark consults with DHL’s largest clients on developing internal audits and programs, to insure compliance with import and export laws and regulations.Also joining us will be Jonathan Gold, who is vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. In this role, Gold is a primary spokesperson and is responsible for representing NRF before Congress and the Administration on supply chain, international trade, and customs related issues impacting the retail industry.We also welcome special guest, Jason Brewer from The Retail Industry Leaders Association. At RILA, Brewer is responsible for developing communications and grassroots strategies to help advance legislative efforts on key policy initiatives.Another special guest is Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the National Association of Manufacturers, where he serves as the NAM's economic forecaster and spokesperson on economic issues. He frequently comments on current economic conditions for manufacturers through professional presentations and media interviews. He has appeared on Bloomberg, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox Business, Fox News, and Reuters television.
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