The Port of Seattle is closed Saturday as a labor strike continues at U.S. West Coast ports.

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators and carriers, said during labor negotiations on June 10 that coordinated and disruptive job actions led by the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle.

On June 9, ILWU directed work on the second and third shifts to slow down, causing freight operations at the Port of Seattle to stop, resulting in workers being sent home, the PMA said.

On Saturday, June 10, it said the International Labour Federation had refused to send workers to any of the port's container terminals for the first shift, causing the port to remain closed.

The International Labour Federation, meanwhile, denied its actions had led to the closure of the port and was committed to negotiating a "fair and equitable" agreement.

Still, ILWU International President Willie Adams said Seattle will continue to operate. "Despite what you hear from the PMA, the West Coast ports are open for business as we continue to work under an expired collective bargaining agreement."

According to the Port of Seattle website, The top six U.S. exports through the port in 2022 include apples (valued at $2.185 billion), milk ($1.209 billion), beef (valued at $801.5 million), wheat (valued at $756.8 million), potatoes (valued at $712.4 million) and hay (valued at $601.7 million).

The American Agricultural Transportation Union (AgTC), which represents agricultural shippers, warned that disruptions at ports would damage the reputation of U.S. agricultural exporters as reliable trading partners. AgTC Executive Director Peter Friedmann stressed that the impact of the West Coast port disruption was felt around the world.

Shipping officials at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's busiest container ports, warned that up to 28 ships scheduled to arrive this week were expected to face delays unless dockworkers resumed operations.

The last contract between the longshoremen and the port expired on July 1, 2022, and talks on a potential New Deal have dragged on since May 10, 2022, with little sign of progress. The war of words between the two sides has intensified recently, with an increasing number of small-scale actions such as shutdowns at individual ports on the US West Coast.

Previous disputes: On June 30, 2002, the contract between ILWU and PMA expired, and there were fears of a repeat of the 2002 situation. ILWU agreed to keep its members on the job as negotiations continue to implement work slowdowns at U.S. West Coast ports. As negotiations bogged down on September 27, a PMA phase worker shutdown shut down all U.S. West Coast ports, causing supply chain disruptions.

Eleven days later, the administration of then-President George W. Bush sought legal intervention to end the shutdown through the Taft-Hartley Act, and the ports reopened on October 9, 2002.

The backlog took weeks to clear, and the shutdown is estimated to have cost the U.S. economy about $10 billion.