Walkout by union dockworkers shuts down Oakland terminals
Source
American Shipper
Post Date
07/24/2026
ILWU members stage sympathy protest in support of striking sugar workers Union dockworkers at the Port of Oakland walked off the job Tuesday in sympathy with striking employees at an area sugar refiner. The walkout by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union shut down terminals at Oakland; the job action exted to workers at the ports of Stockton and Sacramento, also in northern California. ?epresentatives from the Port of Oakland? major tenants reported yesterday morning that workers at several locations left their terminals in what appears to be a coordinated labor activity at several seaports, and unrelated to the Oakland waterfront operations, The port could not say how many dockworkers participated in the walkout; the terminals are privately owned by four companies that manage all hiring. Terminals were all as of second shift [Wednesday], were quite busy and operations are back to normal today, port staff said in an email. The Pacific Maritime Association employers group confirmed union longshore workers walked off the job at the Ports of Oakland, Sacramento and Stockton ?n violation of the PMA-ILWU contract.?An arbitrator confirmed that the coordinated work stoppage violated the contract and ordered the longshoremen back to work. ?llegal work actions of this kind negatively impact businesses, workers and customers throughout the supply chain, including those who have no involvement with the dispute involved in today? work stoppage,?the PMA said. SSA Terminals, which operates SSA Oakland International Container Terminal, referred questions to the port. Tensions over contract talks with striking warehouse personnel represented by the ILWU at C&H Sugar, 25 miles north of the port in Crockett, escalated this week when two union protesters were arrested after they and a crowd of supporters blocked truck access to the plant. Local media reported that strikers blocked the plant after C&H hired non-union workers to unload a ship. The sugar workers have been on strike since June 15.
