Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and large companies met with President Biden today to secure commitments to better utilize extended gate hours to move historic volumes of cargo ahead of the holiday season.
Earlier in the day, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, other White House officials, national supply chain leaders, leading retailers and labor and trucking representatives held a virtual roundtable to discuss how they can best work together during the next 90 days.
Long Beach officials applauded the White House’s involvement.
“Whenever we are faced with a crisis here, it’s our philosophy to channel it into something positive,” Cordero said. “Before this unprecedented cargo surge began, we believed 24/7 operations were the future. After all, consumers can shop online at any time, whether it’s at 4 p.m. or 4 a.m., and 24/7 is already the standard at our partner ports in Asia. The supply chain truly never stops now, and we’re thankful to the Biden administration for using its influence to ensure cargo is always moving.”
Source: Port of Long Beach