Cargo's on the Up and Up
Posted by Karen Thomas on Sat, Jul 17, 2010 @ 12:28 AM
The California sun has finally shown its face. Does that mean it's time for summer vacation? Not of you're the Port of Los Angeles. A prosperous June means July and August will be busy months – after all - success takes maintenance. The Port of Los Angeles' June was so successful, it moved more containers than it did in 2006 during the last economic upturn so to speak.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "The effects were felt immediately at the nation's busiest seaport complex. For the first time since the worldwide recession, jobs were so plentiful on the docks last month that veteran union members had to be supplemented by hundreds of part-time workers, known as casuals. That followed a year in which there were no jobs for part-timers and even veterans struggled to find work," (www.losangelestimes.com.)
While jobless rates drop in industries nationwide - the transportation industry has been making significant headway. The Port of Long Beach continues to operate even during labor contract negotiations between marine terminal operators and the office clerks. In addition, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal to boost environmental progression and productivity, which require skilled personnel.
And while the early summer success may not be sustained in coming months, it's important to realize why imports jumped 27% to 262,053 containers. Future success depends on an understanding of past actions and the patterns needed to produce in months to come.