the film forum library tutorial contact DONATE

Port Dispute Boosts Agriculture Shipping Costs by Associated Press KGW, June 27, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. -- With container ships avoiding Port of Portland because of a labor dispute, exporters of agricultural products must pay higher costs to get their cargo to alternate ports and ultimately to Asia.

Companies such as SL Follen, a Portland-based exporter of hay and feed products, have paid upwards of $1,000 per container to reroute their cargo to Seattle.

Meawhile, ORPAC Feed and Forage in Junction City hasn't shipped anything in four days while it looks for a feasible way to get containers to Seattle. The situation is costing the company $10,000 per day.

The labor dispute is between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

A federal judge appointed former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski to help broker a solution and the parties were negotiating Tuesday.