“A long trade war could mean more shipping time for western producers and fewer work opportunities for West Coast workers,” said Clare Petrich, Port of Tacoma commission president and co-chair of The Northwest Seaport Alliance.
The letter, sent by the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, Seattle and Tacoma, says the trade dispute “will create irredeemable economic harm to employers, workers, residents and international partnerships along the entire coast and throughout the country.”
“US trade policy impacts not only our core businesses, but also the success of our customers, and the livelihoods of our local communities,” the letter states. “Collectively, our trade and logistics operations employ hundreds of thousands of family-wage workers whose jobs rely on dependable trade flows. In addition, the cargo handled at our ports flows to and from every corner of the country – from the Atlantic seaboard through America’s heartland to the West Coast – to support American businesses of every size. In fact, 38 percent of all US exports to China by value go through our six ports alone.”
