The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from Vice President for Supply Chain Jonathan Gold on news reports that Labor Secretary Tom Perez will directly intervene in the ongoing port labor contract dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA): “We welcome the administration’s attention to this important national and international economic and supply chain issue and hope it recommits the two sides to reaching a deal. “The slowdowns, congestion and suspensions at the West Coast ports need to end now.”