California ports shut down due to failed negotiations

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Ports and terminals on the West Coast are shutting down after union workers walked off following failed negotiations.

The Port of Oakland shut down on Friday morning due to lack of sufficient labor, and operations in Los Angeles were reported to be closing too, including Fenix Marine, the APL Terminal, and Port of Hueneme.

A spokesman for the Port of Oakland says the majority of imports and exports are processed through those terminals.

The ports and unions have been involved in contract negotiations over the past year, adding tension to port operations.

The shut down comes at a time when activity at West Coast ports had picked up again after losing volume to the East Coast ports due to concerns about the volatile labor situation.

The last work stoppage at the Oakland port came in early November, when hundreds of clerks walked off the job over a pay dispute.