A shipping container is unloaded from the Maersk Hartford cargo ship at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina. The call for a shutdown comes as ILA leaders are in the early stages of contract talks with the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd., which represents the employers of unionized Atlantic and Gulf Coast port workers. On Monday Harold Daggett, the ILA’s president, said the union will seek “immediate emergency meetings” with members of Congress and asked members not to engage in the planned walkout. “We hear your anger, we hear your frustration and we intend to address it,” Mr. Daggett said in a statement. The Waterfront Commission declined to comment.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 28, 2017 01:30 UTC