The collective bargaining duel between shippers and longshoremen on America's west coast is escalating into a strike that could have considerable effect on pop culture retailers.  Last Thursday, the union representing some 10,000 west coast longshoremen told its members to pay strict attention to all work and safety rules, a move that the Pacific Maritime Association, which bargains on behalf of shipping lines and terminal operators, termed a slowdown.  The PMA retaliated by locking out longshoremen at all Pacific ports over the weekend.  When longshoremen returned to work on Sunday, other union pressure tactics, including randomly assigning workers to tasks for which they were not well trained, led the PMA to resume the lockout indefinitely. 

 

West Coast ports handle over $300 billion in cargo a year and the economic impact could easily reach $1 billion dollars a day if the strike occurs during the busy fall season.  A strike could put a serious damper on several pop culture product categories manufactured almost exclusively in China, including toys, models, and statues.  The rapidly growing CMG category is also sourced in China; incoming shipments of WizKids' DC HeroClix CMG have already been affected.  

 

Despite the obvious acrimony between the shippers and the West Coast longshoremen, a strike is not a foregone conclusion.  The economic impact of a work stoppage could easily result in government action under the Taft-Hartley Act, and most recent major labor disputes have been settled without strikes including a potential Teamsters vs. UPS dustup that could have resulted in real problems for retailers (see 'No UPS Strike').  But the longshoremen may be more militant than the Teamsters, and the acrimony has already reached a level not seen in the recent UPS negotiations.