ATLANTA — With longshoremen and port operators still unable to come to terms for a new labor agreement at East Coast ports, Norfolk Southern is recommending alternative origins for West Coast-destined international intermodal that normally flows into the eastern seaboard.
NS outlined its recommended service Thursday, making use of its inland intermodal terminals to originate international containers bound for western markets. This allows U.S. container imports to move from NS’s inland terminals to BNSF and Union Pacific interchanges in the Midwest for final delivery to western markets. The alternatives are being offered to customers as the railroad winds down operations at coastal ports ahead of Tuesday’s potential strike.
The new plan offers six alternatives to East Coast ports, including Appliance Park in Louisville, Ky.; Austell, Ga., near Atlanta; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Croxton, N.J.; and Detroit. All will interchange with BNSF Railway or Union Pacific at Chicago, except for Austell, which will interchange with UP at Memphis, Tenn.
As the longshoremen’s strike grows increasingly likely, the railroad will move its last outbound trains from East Coast ports on Monday, Sept. 30. It affects outbound trains that normally haul international containers originating from seven coastal ports, including GCT Terminal in Bayonne, N.J.; Elizabeth Marine Terminal in Elizabeth, N.J.; New York City Container Terminal; Norfolk International Terminal in Norfolk, Va.; Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Va.; Port of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.; and the Garden City Terminal in Garden City, Ga.
Winding down operations between these intermodal markets and ports affects 48 rail lanes. The railroad is already winding down eastbound container deliveries into these terminals.
Labor negotiations have stalled between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, the organization representing ports, terminals, and ocean carriers. Major sticking points include the union’s request for a 77% pay increase for workers, language that limits how new automation technologies can be used, improved healthcare benefits, and more retirement contributions. The current six-year agreement expiring Sept. 30 affects about 45,000 dockworkers at more than two dozen East and Gulf Coast intermodal ports.
I didn’t see Baltimore or Wilmington NC or Wilmington DE, for that matter on the list. Are they to be struck too?
“The new plan offers six alternatives to East Coast ports, including Appliance Park in Louisville, Ky.; Austell, Ga., near Atlanta; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Croxton, N.J.; and Detroit. All will interchange with BNSF Railway or Union Pacific at Chicago, except for Austell, which will interchange with UP at Memphis, Tenn.” Sounds interesting but i appear to be missing one point. How does cargo get from the ships to these “inland” terminals.