Port employers and ILWU Local 26 signed an extension on October 30, pushing the threatened Los Angeles and Long Beach walkout to 5 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, November 4.

The dispute is not settled. You have roughly two business days to move available containers before the next deadline.

What the Extension Changed

Our October 30 report described employers finalizing an extension. PMA confirmed Friday that the parties signed it.

Negotiations continue with Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service involvement.

Local 26 represents roughly 250 maritime watchmen handling gate security and cargo watch duties, not the entire West Coast longshore workforce. Their contract expired in July 2025, and they have worked under extensions since.

PMA says those workers staff six of the 13 container terminals across both ports, handling approximately 85% of Long Beach cargo and 33% of Los Angeles cargo. Named facilities include APM Terminals, Long Beach Container Terminal, Total Terminals International, SSA Marine terminals, Pacific Container Terminal, and the OH55 facility.

PMA has warned that dockworkers and marine clerks, covered by separate contracts and not parties to this dispute, are not expected to cross Local 26 picket lines. That could halt vessel, yard, and gate operations at affected terminals.

Those are exposure estimates and a possible consequence, not evidence cargo has stopped moving.

Separate Available Containers From Cargo Still at Sea

Start with containers that have discharged. Ask your forwarder for terminal, customs-release status, freight-release status, availability date, and last free day. Then confirm your trucker has an appointment and the equipment to collect it.

“Arrived” is too vague for this decision. A vessel can arrive without your container being discharged, released, or available for pickup. Track each state separately.

For an available container, the question is whether pickup completes before Wednesday at 5 p.m. For cargo still aboard an inbound vessel, it is whether discharge and collection fall before or after the deadline.

Keep warehouse receiving capacity in the same conversation. Collecting a container early helps only if the receiving site can unload it and goods can move into saleable inventory. Amazon-bound products still need prep, appointments, and receiving after leaving the port.

Price Contingencies Against the Actual Stockout

Do not reroute every shipment because a deadline moved. Ask for alternatives only where timing and economics support them.

Say an expedited alternative costs an extra $1,500 for 1,000 saleable units. That adds $1.50 per unit. Compare it against the contribution you would lose during a stockout, not against gross sales revenue.

The calculation also has to include whether the alternative arrives early enough to matter. Paying for speed that misses the same promotion or receiving cutoff buys nothing.

For freight quotes, compare the full route and service scope. An ocean benchmark cannot tell you the total cost of an alternate gateway, inland transport, and final delivery. Arranging and receiving international ocean freight separates those charges.

Get any contingency quote’s validity period in writing. A price obtained today may not survive the next negotiating update.

Assign Owners Before Wednesday

Give one person responsibility for each shipment’s next action. Your broker may control customs clearance, your forwarder may coordinate transport, and your warehouse may control receiving. None of those roles automatically owns the complete replenishment timeline.

Build a short sheet showing the next required action, responsible contact, latest useful completion date, and customer-promise impact. Prioritize products with low stock cover or committed promotions.

Ask about terminal notices, appointment cancellations, and free-time treatment if operations stop. Do not assume a labor disruption suspends storage charges or triggers an invoice waiver.

Dimerco’s advisory to clients put it directly: do not defer movements based solely on an expected extension. That applied last week and applies again now, because Wednesday could produce another extension, an agreement, or a walkout.

Get an updated status from your forwarder today. Extra negotiating time helps you collect inventory. It cannot make unreceived stock available to customers.