Supply Chain Latest: Panama Canal and West Coast Dockworkers Strike

Laura Curtis

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Two simmering disruptions threaten to boil over this summer just as supply chain managers in the US prepare for what's typically the busiest time of year for international shipping.

The first potential shock is man-made — a labor slowdown at West Coast ports, where contract talks with management have dragged on for more than a year. The two sides now appear at loggerheads over pay, and how to divvy up carriers’ pandemic-era profits in a market that's returned to rock- bottom freight rates.