Category Archives: Labor Economics

Disgruntled HMM seafarers threaten pay strike and to join rival carrier MSC

Posted on August 24, 2021 by | 1 comment

I found the mechanics of this seafarer strike interesting. But for logistics students with little knowledge of the maritime environment, all of this will be new.

Many don’t realize that sailrs on many lines have been trapped at see by Covid. Their home countries won;’t allow them in without quarantines longer than their breaks, or perhaps not at all in some Asian countries. so they are trapped on thieir vessels with no breaks.

It’s a hard life; but maritimers are paid well– look at the wages, and these are for Korean-flagged ships. US flag ships would pay more.

By Nick Savvides 24/08/2021

Disgruntled HMM seafarers threaten pay strike and to join rival carrier MSC – The Loadstar

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Posted in Labor Economics, Logistics, Shipping

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Port of LA will pay container terminals for efficiency gains

Posted on January 21, 2021 by | Leave a comment

One way to improve throughput is to offer performance rewards to the players. The Port of LA will reward Terminal Operators for each fast turn around of a truck.

It is an interesting attempt to help truckers out. Quicker turns mean more driving time for truckers, and more loads carried. It also keeps chassis at work instead of sitting and waiting. As we know, there is a shortage of chassis at ports in the US today.

Let’s see how the reward system works. And how long the port will keep it up; as time passes, terminals may deliberately slow up to get the port to keep rewarding them. The bad performance could become ordinary, requiring rewards to go faster.

Kim Link-Wills, Senior Editor Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Port of LA will pay container terminals for efficiency gains – FreightWaves

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Posted in Labor Economics, Logistics, Ports, Production Operations, Supply Chains, Trucking

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Challenge HOS final rule in federal court

Posted on September 17, 2020 by | 1 comment

Teamsters and several safety organizations have challenged the new HOS rules. It won’t keep them from going into effect; but it will point out that the new rules directly contradict previous findings of the FMCSA.

I’ve been waiting for such challenges. The HOS rules were negotiated with lots of deliberation a couple of years ago, and they represent losses of rights for employee truckers. Independent Owner-Operators may have a different view, since they are playing with their own money and time, and might prefer longer hours even if it is less safe.

Like not wearing a mask.

Link: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/breaking-news-safety-groups-teamsters-challenge-hos-rule-in-federal-court

By John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent Wednesday, September 16, 2020

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Posted in Labor Economics, Logistics, Trucking

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