Port strike update: Norfolk Southern contingency plans in place

President Biden yesterday called on the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to get back to the bargaining table, as the International Longshoremen's Association's (ILA) strike at East and Gulf coast ports stretched into its second day.

The strike began Oct. 1, after the ILA and the USMX failed to reach agreement on a new contract before the previous one expired Sept. 30. So far, Biden has declined to implement the Taft-Hartley Act to force the dockworkers back to work. In remarks to reporters yesterday and in a post on social media site X, the president noted that the ocean carriers have made record profits since the pandemic, as dockworkers "put themselves at risk" to keep those ports open.

"It’s time those ocean carriers offered a strong and fair contract that reflects ILA workers’ contribution to our economy and to their record profits," Biden posted on X. "I’ve also directed my team to monitor for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers. No company should exploit this for profit."

Meanwhile, ports and railroads have been implemented contingency plans as the work stoppage stretches on. Norfolk Southern Railway is taking a "proactive approach" to keep things moving as best as possible, company officials said in a press release. Key elements of its contingency plan included:

• NS planned, communicated, and began implementing a curtailment schedule for services between intermodal markets and East Coast port locations on Sept. 23; and

• NS multiple lanes are available to redirect containers to West Coast ports, ensuring the continued movement of goods. Customers can access these alternative routes through the NS network and partnerships with short line railroads and western Class Is.

"We are working with customers to leverage our network, as well as our partnerships with ocean carriers, short line railroads, and western Class I railroads, to minimize disruptions and ensure that essential goods continue to flow as efficiently as possible," said NS Chief Operating Officer John Orr.

NS encouraged customers with questions regarding the East Coast service curtailment plan or how to use the westbound alternative service solutions to reach out to their lead NS marketing representative or email autoandintlpricingrequests@nscorp.com for more information.