Pending Strike to Slow Flower Bulb Trade
A 30-year contract for workers of the International Longshoremen’s Association is set to expire on Tuesday and 45,000 union members are planning to walk off the job, affecting ports along the entire east cost of the US in the weeks and months during the period of highest volume of importing and exporting in the lead up to the holiday season. This would be the first work stoppage of this group since 1977. Due to the volume US ports manage, even a one day strike will take an estimated 4 to 6 days to clear. The workers have suggested that their cohorts in other countries will support their efforts should contract demands not be met, in the largest coordinated act of worker solidarity, ever.
Despite efforts, an agreement has not been met leading into the week of the planned strike, which will cost the US an estimated 5 billion dollars per day.
We are cautiously optimistic about the situation. We’re monitoring our container ships’ progress carefully. We ship our bulbs in climate-controlled containers with cooling (different temps for different kinds of bulbs) to protect bulb health. The containers can maintain their prescribed environments for over 2 months if needed.
We are also preparing here for receipt of bulbs on a flexible schedule if needed. We moved into a new facility this summer to accommodate potential delays in product shipping that create bottlenecks and we’re prepared to enlist the services of a refrigerated warehouse company at port, if needed, to protect our products and ensure they are delivered here in a manner that allows us to process them to our quality standards.
Our first container, holding most of the daffodils, miscellaneous bulbs, hydroponic bulb crates, and a bulb inspection conveyor line/counting machine is on it’s way to us now, set to arrive Oct. 7.
The remaining containers with tulips, peonies, amaryllis are loaded in The Netherlands on dates that reflect their harvest and pre-treatment schedules and shipped in containers that meet their temperature needs between now and early November.
As farmers and bulb brokers, we are accustomed to challenges to timelines and product availability due to the vagaries of nature. The expiration of a 30-day labor union contract at port is a new challenge. We, of course, support the union and hope that their demands are met in an expeditious manner.
We will keep you updated with news as we learn it. We work with the most seasoned, expert companies in the industry from the hybridizers who are developing new varieties to the customs brokers who take responsibility for our goods when they land in New York and advocate for them through the USDA inspection process. We feel confident that we have the very best team during smooth or bumpy times.
-Linda & The Team at Ampersand Bulb Co.