This is interesting – an annual survey of port efficiency. In light of the new port workers’ strike on East Coast it’s worth looking at. Table E.1 starts around page 11.
Note that the first American port on the list is at #53, Charleston (my town!) Curiously, my neighbor Savannah is nearly at the bottom.
Also close to the bottom: Tacoma, Oakland, Long Beach, Los Angeles.
Imagine how powerful a stimulant to the economy an efficient port would be. Looks like we need a change from the current structure. – Left Coast Dan
Union protected jobs are not designed for efficiency, they are designed for security, the security of the worker.
When you are paid by the hour, unloading one container or a hundred, it is all the same.
The average dock worker was making 6 figures before the strike, now it is settled, with the workers getting a 62% raise.
Unions BA’s and their bodies are really good at pricing themselves out of the market. Automation is going to greatly accelerate their replacement.
Have to delve into that as rankings alone don’t tell the story.
The longshoremen’s union voted today not to strike and put off any strike vote until after the election in January. Coincidence, I think not.