Calif. Democrats Urge Pritzker to Ensure West Coast Ports Don't Suffer With Hanjin Ships Idled
Five California House Democrats, led by Ports Caucus Co-Chair Janice Hahn, urged Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to work out an agreement with Hanjin and South Korean officials to guarantee that West Coast ports and port workers get paid, and that…
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full ships anchored at those ports can be unloaded. Some U.S. ports refused to accept Hanjin ships, after the Korea Development Bank rejected a self-restructuring proposal by the company, which filed for bankruptcy protection last week (see 1609020011). “This crisis may be complicated, but US workers and their livelihood are in the middle of it,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter (here). “As the nation just celebrated Labor Day and the workers who keep our economy running, we urge the Obama Administration to act to ensure that our workers are paid and that our economy is protected.” Because Hanjin’s ships are sitting idle at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and others on the West Coast, some workers at those locations were told they won’t get paid, the lawmakers said. Furthermore, unloading the ships should be a higher priority as the U.S. heads into peak shopping season, they said.