Conflict between the ILWU and the PMA continues into the New Year as each organization has initiated actions that will further exacerbate the congestion. In an effort to gain leverage over employers, the ILWU withheld a large number of skilled crane operators from their shifts. Without the crane operators, the cargo-handling operations have experienced a drastic slow down. In response, the PMA has reduced the number of night-shift workers to mitigate the amount of container build-up that would occur if the night shifts were unloading at the proper rate.
