ADVOCACY REPORT
Union Negotiations: All our almond exporters are concerned with the upcoming labor negotiations which are set to begin in January 2022. Given the existing conditions at the Port of Oakland, an impasse would be devastating. While labor negotiations impact the Port of Oakland, the two parties negotiating are the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). The Almond Alliance is meeting with ILWU and PMA and will continue to monitor contract negotiations and update on the progress. Legislation of Interest: Congressmen John Garamendi and Dusty Johnson are authors of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 “OSRA21.” The Act’s provisions address the unreasonable detention and demurrage charges, export cargo bookings, and other carrier practices that are essential to allow US agriculture to remain competitive in global markets. The Almond Alliance strongly supports provisions in the bill to gain reasonable and fair ocean carrier practices consistent with the Federal Maritime Commission’s Interpretive Rule on Demurrage and it imposes upon carriers the obligation to self-police compliance with that Rule. In addition, the bill obligates
ocean carriers to carry export cargo, to the extent they can do so safely. It addresses carrier practices limiting efficient use of containers, chassis, and other equipment. The Almond Alliance will continue to work on advancing and strengthening this bill as it proceeds through the legislative process. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021: www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4996 The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 Factsheet: almondalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ OSRA21-Section-by-Section-Summary.pdf ACTION ITEM: Below are the California representatives already listed as co-sponsors. If your congressional representative (or one that you know) is not on the list of co-sponsors of OSRA21, please contact them directly to request they co-sponsor the bill.
A current list of co-sponsors of OSRA21: • • • •
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