The local unions representing dockworkers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued pushing local and state officials to prioritize their members for vaccinations, as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths among their ranks increase — which could have negative implications for the vast amount of the nation’s cargo they help move.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Locals 13, 63 and 94, all of which signed onto the letter, have seen cases spike recently, as has all of Los Angeles County amid a devastating surge, and eight active members, according to the letter, have died from coronavirus-related causes.
“We’re not asking to overstep the people who are first responders and those taking care of people in nursing homes,” Frank Ponce De Leon, coast committeeman for the ILWU’s Coast Longshore Division, said in a telephone interview Tuesday, Jan. 12. “But our workforce could be depleted quickly if this thing spins out of control. We need help.”