Vote opens on controversial Port of LA workforce disclosure rules

Californians head for the polls today to decide on Charter Amendment PRT – a package of changes affecting Los Angeles’s airports, harbour, and Department of Water and Power, including new workforce disclosure requirements for leases at the port.

The measure would require applicants for certain new Harbor Department leases, extensions, and amendments, to provide information on their employment and economic impacts, to be assessed by the Board of Harbor Commissioners .

The vote comes amid opposition from a coalition of more than 50 business and supply chain organisations, including the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), claiming the proposed changes could “introduce uncertainty into underwriting and leasing decisions”, and risk “discouraging investment and diverting cargo to competing ports”.

In a letter to Los Angeles City Council, the coalition urged councillors to retain the existing charter provisions governing port operations, and that embedding operational requirements in the City Charter could weaken the Harbor Commission’s authority, and its ability to respond to changing market conditions and technologies.

This story was originally published by The Loadstar. Read the full story at The Loadstar →