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Maersk President for North America Michael White dangled his company’s pending new contract with the State Ports Authority in a letter [to federal, state and local lawmakers] obtained by The Post and Courier. White wrote that access at Port of Charleston must include both major railroad companies “to ensure its competitive future relative to other major ports.”
Two years ago, Maersk faced a volume decline and hoped to save money by [shifting work to] SPA workers who would perform jobs that otherwise fall to pricier union labor. Unable to reach a cost-saving agreement amenable to both the SPA and the International Longshoremen’s Association, Maersk launched public discussions that pulled in lawmakers and carried on after the resignation of then-SPA Chief Executive Officer Bernard S. Groseclose Jr.