The USTR has announced an extension to the currently active Section 301 Exclusions. These exclusions were originally set to expire on December 31, 2023. The USTR has extended the exclusions until May 31, 2024.
For a list of the extended exclusions, see the following:
As expected, the dockworks at East and Gulf Coast ports began striking today. Their contract expired at midnight. This strike affects all ocean ports from Maine to Teaxs. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have been attempting to negotiate a new contract for months. However reports seem to indicate that…
The current ILA (International Longshoremen’s Association) contract is set to expire on September 30, 2024. The latest news reports do not paint an optimistic picture that a contract will be signed by the expiration date. Both sides are currently blaming each other for the stalemate. The USMX (Maritime Alliance) is reporting that the ILA refuses to come to…
Port congestion slowly is continuing to build back up at West Coast ports as the labor dispute between the ILWU and PMA continues. Los Angeles/Long Beach While the terminals appear to be open, productivity has dropped dramatically. CNBC reported that as of yesterday, six vessels were delayed at Los Angeles while two were at anchor at…
Earlier this year, USTR reinstated exclusions for a number of products subject to the Section 301 tariff. The full list of these exclusions can be found on the USTR website. The reinstated exclusions were set to expire on December 31, 2022. However, last Friday, the USTR announced that the exclusion for these items will be extended…
The U.S. government and CBP are taking a very hardline stance on imports of products made by forced labor. While CBP has been targeting goods produced by forced labor for a few years, they are now taking a focused approach with goods from China. Specifically, CBP is introducing tools to help them in the enforcement of the Uyghur…
Last Friday, June 2nd, various terminals along the West Coast (Los Angeles, Long Bach, Oakland, Tacoma, Seattle) were shut down due to labor action from the ILWU (Internation Longshore and Warehouse Union). At the port of Oakland, longshoremen did not show up for work. As of noon today, Monday, June 5th, the port of Oakland…
A group of truckers staged a protest last week around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The truckers were protesting the California state law, AB5, which limits the use of independent contractors and forces companies to classify the truckers as employee drivers. A similar protest gathered at the port of Oakland yesterday. During…
The rail industry and the unions representing the railyard workers have been busy trying to reach contract agreements over the past month. This Friday, September 16, 2022, marks the end of a federally mandated 30-day “cooling off” period. While roughly 45,000 union members belonging to other rail unions have reached tentative agreements, two of the…
2023 was a welcome relief for most shippers. The massive congestion during the pandemic had subsided. It was a year of relative calm for most businesses shipping internationally. However, in the past few weeks, global shipping has been impacted by two major events: Red Sea Crisis Houthi rebels have been attacking vessels in the Red…