In a recent speech before the Propeller Club of Washington, D.C., Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Steven Blust commented on a number of maritime issues, including the recent Supreme Court decision, Norfolk Southern v. Kirby, which reaffirmed the statutory distinction between forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs).
The President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) offered ideas in a press conference to "break the jam and get the cargo moving" in the seriously congested ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, including the Pacific Maritime Association's (PMA) hiring of more casual workers, the use of container gangs, moving to 24-hour gates to expedite the flow of containers, etc., adding that union workers were not going to pay the price of increased accidents by working two shifts back-to-back. (ShippersNewsWire@americanshipper.com, dated 10/22/04)
The Washington File reports that after the European Union (EU) member states were urged to renounce their bilateral open skies agreements with the U.S., the U.S. Mission to the EU stated that it values those agreements, and their termination would call into question the legal basis for the airline alliances and would be contrary to the interests of consumers, airlines, and communities. (Washington File Pub 07/22/04, available at http://164.109.48.86/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=July&x=200407221519551CJsamohT0.5732996&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a fact sheet stating, among other things, that the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has helped lead to a comprehensive new Moroccan labor law, effective June 8, 2004, which raises the minimum employment age from 12 to 15, reduces the work week from 48 to 44 hours, calls for periodic review of the Moroccan minimum wage, etc. (USTR fact sheet, dated 06/23/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Morocco/2004-06-23-morocco-factsheet-labor.pdf)
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released a statement on U.S. China trade relations which announces, among other things, that the administration has rejected a section 301 unfair trade practices petition filed by the AFL-CIO with regard to China's worker's rights policies. The USTR explains while there are serious concerns about labor rights and working conditions in China, the administration believes that trade and economic growth, among other things, will move China faster and further toward achieving results. (USTR Statement, dated 04/28/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2004/04/2004-04-28-statement-china.pdf)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Panama will begin negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) during the week of April 26, 2004. According to the press release, these negotiations will be held in Panama City. (Press Release 2004-26, dated 03/26/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2004/03/04-26.pdf)