March 02 , 2015 - Emily Makings
The impacts of a bad reputation
U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez talked recently about how a good reputation can trump a good location when it comes to trade. Washington’s ports had enjoyed an advantage due to their location as a good access point to and from Asia, but the result of the West Coast ports work slowdown may be that that […]
February 26 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Reputational damage at the ports
As an addendum to my earlier post on the deal at the ports, NPR has a good interview with U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez. On the impacts of the slowdown, he says, There is so much collateral damage occurring. . . . You are playing with fire because, yes, the West Coast ports have the […]
February 24 , 2015 - Lew Moore
Streamlined Permitting for Transportation Projects
The transportation package before the state Senate includes several elements designed to speed the completion of new construction and maintenance projects, including adding a 90 day processing requirement for new construction permits, limiting permit appeals to Superior Court, and exempting maintenance from state and local permits. This initiative to increase efficiency and reduce costs is mirrored […]
February 24 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Deal reached at the ports, but normalcy may be a long way off
On Friday, the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union came to an agreement on a new contract, averting a full shutdown of West Coast ports. A major slowdown had been ongoing for the past several months, which we have written about previously. According to the Los Angeles Times, The agreement, which […]
February 23 , 2015 - Emily Makings
January 30 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Congestion hurts port competitiveness
Some news this week on the port slowdown: Monday the AP reported that Negotiators working on a new contract for dockworkers at West Coast seaports, which handle about $1 trillion worth of cargo annually, have resolved a key dispute in their difficult talks, an association representing employers said Monday. . . . The new agreement […]
January 15 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Port delays could mean long-term damage for businesses
Yesterday the Senate Commerce & Labor and Trade & Economic Development Committees held a joint work session on the slowdown at the ports (which we have written about previously). Several Washington businesses affected testified. Marc Spears of Chelan Fresh Marketing said that they’re losing $1.2 million in sales per week. He noted that they are […]
December 30 , 2014 - Emily Makings
2014 remainders: workers' comp, freight plan, and the ports
Some end-of-year housekeeping — the following are some items I didn’t get around to blogging about over the past month: The Department of Labor and Industries announced that workers’ compensation premiums will increase by an average of 0.8 percent. In September, L&I had proposed an increase of 1.8 percent. The Washington State Department of Transportation […]
December 23 , 2014 - Emily Makings
Seattle Times on education, transportation, and Inslee's budget proposal
Education and transportation look to be main areas of work for the Legislature in the upcoming session. Over the weekend, the Seattle Times had a few interesting items on these topics, in light of Gov. Inslee’s 2015-17 budget proposal. First, regarding the governor’s transportation plan, the paper points to a letter from state Treasurer Jim […]