“We are relieved to return to full operations and we want to do our part in getting things back to normal as soon as possible,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle. “Hundreds of thousands of jobs are dependent on our local ports, so the work now begins to clear the backlog and to get our economic engine humming again.”

The ILWU Local 63’s Office Clerical Unit and the Harbor Employers Association reached a tentative agreement late Tuesday, December 4. The clerks agreed to return to work and all terminals at both the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles were open Wednesday morning. Labor action by Local 63 O.C.U. began last week and closed three of the six container terminals at the Port of Long Beach beginning November 28. The impacted terminals were LBCT (Pier F), ITS (Pier G) and TTI (Pier T).

The Port will waive its portion of cargo fees incurred or impacted by the forced closures. Ports assess fees on cargo containers that linger on its terminals beyond a certain grace period. Importers, exporters or their agents should contact service providers such as ocean carriers or terminal operators for more details on cargo fees.

“What we want to do is minimize the impact of the closure on our customers,” Lytle said. “We will continue working closely with all the stakeholders for a smooth transition to normal operations.”