Positive developments in agriculture in the shipping sector, as the conflicting parties in the longshoremen’s dispute along the Gulf and East Coasts are making progress toward ratifying a new contract. According to Mike Steenhoek, Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, the recent committee vote is a promising sign.
Steenhoek, who has been closely monitoring the negotiations, notes that the next step is a vote by the longshoremen’s rank and file on Tuesday, February 25.
Steenhoek anticipates that both parties will approve the contract, which will remain in effect until 2030.
The impending vote on a new longshoremen’s contract could bring much-needed stability to shipping along the Gulf and East Coasts. A resolution would be a win for agriculture and many other industries that rely on efficient port operations to move goods smoothly through the supply chain.
