Just 13 months after Los Angeles and Long Beach set their maritime rivalry aside to fight diesel pollution at the nation’s busiest seaport complex, the partnership has collapsed. In a disagreement that hinges on labor practices, the two cities are now so fundamentally at odds that some experts fear customers will seek out other harbors to escape a storm of complications, confusion and acrimony. At issue is whether the drivers who haul freight to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach should be required to work for trucking companies — and therefore be more likely to be recruited by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union. L.A., as part of its plan to encourage drivers to use lower-emission trucks at the harbor, has taken a pro-union position by requiring truckers to work for a company instead of being self-employed. Long Beach has not supported such a requirement. … If the two cities continue to clash, importers and exporters might begin avoiding the harbor altogether, dodging confusion over which trucks would be allowed to move cargo. That’s a scenario that could devastate businesses that depend on international trade at a time when the value of goods passing through the ports is on track to drop 29% this year.
