Port Labor Disputes Raise New Fears Over U.S. Import Disruptions

Flaring labor tensions at West Coast ports are sparking fears of growing work stoppages that would hobble the flow of goods through some of the country’s biggest trade gateways as importers prepare for the year’s busiest shipping season.

Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain at the National Retail Federation, said importers are increasingly concerned about a series of targeted labor actions that have disrupted major ports while contract talks between employers and dockworkers approach the one-year mark with little sign of progress.

Mr. Gold said retailers are bringing in peak back-to-school and holiday-season goods early this year and diverting cargo to Gulf Coast and East Coast ports as a hedge against possible broader disruptions. “The fact we don’t have a contract yet is one of those big glaring issues that [importers] don’t want to get caught up in,” he said.