The strike threat at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex has been deferred again. The union representing about 250 security workers and their employer, the Pacific Maritime Association, agreed to extend contract talks through Nov. 20.
It is the third extension. The previous contract expired in July 2025, and the two sides have been negotiating with federal mediation for more than a year. In late October the union authorized a strike, and the PMA warned that dockworkers and marine clerks—who have separate contracts and are not party to the dispute—would likely stand with the watchmen. Those workers staff security gates at six container terminals.
The new deadline lands just as the Vincent Thomas Bridge, the port's main highway link, is set to close for more than a year of repairs. The PMA has estimated that disruptions at affected terminals could touch about 85% of cargo at Long Beach and a third at Los Angeles. The two ports set cargo records last month and together handle roughly a third of US containerized seaborne goods.
Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba told Bloomberg this week that he expects elevated volumes through at least January and possibly the first quarter, with AI-related cargo among the drivers.
For Chinese shippers using US West Coast ocean-parcel or ocean-truck services, there is no need to reroute for now, but cargo arriving around Nov. 20 should build in a buffer. Once the bridge closes, truckers serving the southern Long Beach terminals will face longer routes, and drayage appointments could stretch by half a day to a day. If talks fail on Nov. 20, terminal operations and inland trucking would come under pressure at the same time.