NAM Study Says Ports Stoppage Would Be Devastating Hit to Manufacturers
Stoppage Would Cost Economy Half a Billion Dollars a Day, Destroy 41,000 U.S. Jobs
As negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union near a critical deadline, the National Association of Manufacturers released a statement on the potential impact of stoppage based on analysis commissioned by the organization utilizing the Inforum LIFT economic model to quantify the impacts of a potential 15-day closure at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
According to the study by Inforum Economics, a 15-day disruption would cost the US economy nearly half a billion dollars a day — for a total of $7.5 billion — and destroy 41,000 jobs, including more than 6,100 in manufacturing. As the industry continues to grapple with historic supply chain challenges, inflationary pressures and rising transportation and energy costs, manufacturers are calling on the parties to reach an agreement immediately to avoid this continued uncertainty.
“The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach support a major share of cargo relied upon by American businesses and consumers, supporting supply chains across the entire country. With supply chains already stretched thin, inflation at its highest level in four decades and concerns of a recession rising, any disruption would mean a devastating hit to our economy and to manufacturers’ competitiveness,” says National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The disruption would be felt immediately. Manufacturing jobs will be lost if parts and supplies don’t arrive. New equipment, machinery and products can’t be built when ships are backed up and there is no one available to unload and process cargo. Our overseas customers won’t wait for us to fix these disruptions, either — they’ll simply find other suppliers, weakening US manufacturing competitiveness in the process.
“This is why the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union must not allow a disruption at these ports. Manufacturers, our millions of employees and the countless others whose lives and livelihoods depend on the products we make are counting on the PMA and the ILWU to reach a resolution and keep the ports running.”
For more information about NAM, visit www.nam.org.
