The Port of Portland will pay shipping lines $10 a container to keep sending cargo vessels here despite longshore labor disputes that started last spring and drove up costs.
Port commissioners voted 7-2 Wednesday in favor of the payments to ocean carriers, up to a total $1 million, on top of subsidizing the company that operates Portland’s embattled container yard.
The West Coast longshore union quickly condemned the payments, and denied responsibility for slowdowns at the North Portland terminal. The Port is squandering public resources and scapegoating union members, who continue to work productively, longshore leaders said.