DALLAS — Although the three-day strike in early October by 45,000 dockworker members of the International Longshoremen’s Association ended in a tentative labor agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance employer group, there is still a sense of unease about what’s next.
The strike has only been temporarily halted; an agreement must be reached by January 15 to avoid a second strike. Some sources, such as Salvatore Stile, founder of the New York freight forwarder Wheels Up International, have been quoted as saying they think the risk of another strike is as high as 70%.
According to Reuters, shippers are already avoiding East and Gulf Coast hubs, including New York, New Jersey, Houston and Savannah. In an article this week in Fast Company, Chris Peterson, CEO of Newell Brands, said his company is diverting “a couple of hundred” containers to the West Coast in anticipation of a second strike.
Some of the East Coast ports affected by the strike are still working to move the backed-up cargo from the strike and, on the West Coast, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have set new records for volume this summer from diverted containers.
In a proactive response to these developments, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA), along with the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA), are encouraging show organizers to take immediate action to communicate with exhibitors at their upcoming events.
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The organizations are providing a downloadable letter template that show organizers can send to their exhibitors explaining the circumstances and recommending they ship their show materials by the end of 2024 for all shows occurring in the first quarter of 2025.
“We highly recommend organizers use this resource to inform and empower their exhibitors,” IAEE President & CEO Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM, said.
The letter outlines steps to take, saying “Given this uncertainty, we strongly recommend shipping your containers to the U.S. before the end of the year. This proactive measure will help ensure your materials arrive on time for the event, regardless of any potential disruptions in January.”
The letter template is available for download here.
Reach Marsha Flanagan at mflanagan@iaee.com
