By Gwen Davis

On Wednesday, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that 29 West Coast seaports would be largely closed for four of the five upcoming days.

Companies operating those marine terminals said they won’t hire crews to load or unload ships on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, according to the AP.

Employers said they don’t want to pay hourly rates that are already far above average, according to the PMA. The President’s Day holiday and weekend factored in.

“Weekend and holiday pay rates command a premium of at least 50 percent of the basic longshore wage rate,” a PMA press release on Wednesday stated. “As a result, working hours on those days would be paid at between $54 and $75 per hour for longshore workers and clerks, and between $77 and $92 per hour for foremen. PMA members have concluded that they will not conduct vessel operations on those dates, paying full shifts of ILWU workers such high rates for severely diminished productivity while the backlog of cargo at West Coast ports grows.”

Terminal operators might choose to hire smaller crews that would focus on moving already-unloaded containers into the flow of commerce, according to the AP. However, those would be smaller operations compared to work on container ships.

Since October, the port has been in turmoil due to labor negotiation disputes. The blame game has been heated. Employers said longshoremen staged work slowdowns, while dockworkers said cargo is moving slowly for reasons beyond their control, according to the AP.

The ILWU put out a video on Wednesday, accusing the PMA of eliciting unneeded hardship.

“The PMA is trying to divide us,” union president Robert McEllrath said in the video. The two sides have not talked since last Friday, he said.

“This is an effort by the employers to put economic pressure on our members and to gain leverage in contract talks,” McEllrath said in an ILWU news release. “The union is standing by ready to negotiate, as we have been for the past several days.”

Besides potential job loss and plummeting revenue, the slowdowns have had other effects, as well. According to AP reporting, Hanjin Shipping, a South Korean shipping company that is the Port of Portland’s largest container carrier will be terminating its service with the city. The company reportedly has been unhappy about the pace of work among longshore workers. According to the AP, Hanjin’s pullout will impact hundreds of jobs and businesses using the terminal.