U. S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh recently paid a visit to the Port of Los Angeles to highlight the Biden administration's measures to reduce supply chain disruptions, a press release from the U.S Department of Labor said.
Walsh delivered a speech during the Nov. 30 visit alongside officials from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, Rep. Nannette Barragán (D-Compton), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
“This is a worker-centered recovery, and we are focused on what working families need,” Walsh said. "So when the pandemic caused supply chain issues, this administration moved quickly and boldly to resolve them.”
President Biden's plan has resulted in a “historic recovery” with the restoration of at least 5.6 million jobs and the lowest number of unemployment claims in 50 years, Walsh said in the release.
Walsh maintained that Biden's focus on ports and supply chains extends “beyond the holidays” with an emphasis on not just resolving current economic concerns but also developing long-term solutions, the release said. The visit comes on the heels of Biden's meeting with CEOs from a variety of industries to review the administration's measures to strengthen U.S. supply chains.
President Biden established a Supply Chain Disruption Task Force earlier in June to address transportation and logistical constraints impeding the nation's economic recovery, according to a CBS8 report. On Oct. 13, Biden announced that the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day to clear cargo backlogs that were threatening the holiday shopping season and slowing the nation's economic recovery during the pandemic.
Since Oct. 25, the ports have reported an improvement in reducing cargo backlogs at terminals, resulting in a 37% drop in aging products on the docks, CBS8 reported. This decrease has enabled the ports to postpone the implementation of the ‘Container Excess Dwell Fee’ on companies with containers lingering at marine terminals. The fee is currently set to take effect on Dec. 13 if necessary, according to Ocean Network Express.
