California Ports Shut Down Over Contract Dispute

LOS ANGELES (KMJ) — An ongoing labor dispute will see 29 West Coast seaports shutdown.

The port operators claim union members have been staging work slowdowns during contract negotiations. They say it's costing them $2 billion a day.

The Pacific Maritime Association says it'll stop loading and unloading from today. They don't want to pay for higher premium wages for weekend and holiday operations – wanted by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

Meanwhile – the companies which operate at those ports say they won't hire crews to load or unload ships.

The dispute means valley goods will be amongst those being held up – some warn the strike could be in force until Monday.