1971 to 1972 ILWU Strike

The strike showed shippers how much a West Coast labor dispute can disrupt U.S. trade, a lesson repeated in 2002 and in 2014 to 2015. Dockworkers struck over who would handle container work and how displaced workers would be paid. President Nixon used the Taft-Hartley Act to impose an 80-day cooling-off period in October 1971, and the strike resumed in January 1972 before a settlement in February. Some cargo was diverted to other ports. Importers still hedge this risk by splitting volume between West and East Coast ports and building inventory ahead of labor contract expirations.

• Safety StockExtra stock that covers demand and lead time swings
• Peak SeasonThe busiest stretch of the year for orders
• Port of EntryWhere imports clear US customs

• 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike1934 · A port strike leads to hiring halls with union dispatch
• Ideal X First Container Voyage1956 · The first commercially successful container ship sails
• Abolition of the UK National Dock Labour Scheme1989 · UK ends the registered dockers' monopoly on port work

• Taft-Hartley Act1947 · 1947 law adding union limits and strike injunctions

1. 1971 ILWU strike (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org
2. 1971 strike news coverage (Waterfront Workers History Project, University of Washington) depts.washington.edu