California

California's oranges are rotting on the docks

California's famous navel oranges and Washington's apples are rotting in the hot L.A. sun. Meanwhile, Japanese electronics and Chinese clothing items are bobbing in the ocean within view of the shore.

The Pacific Maritime Association has accused the International Longshore Workers union of creating a work slowdown that has turned harbors into parking lots and shipping containers into putrid garbage bins.

Right now, the giant container ships that are the United States' pipeline of material to and from Asia are sitting idle in the ocean off of the West coast.

There's no labor or equipment available to load and unload goods, the port association says.

Negotiations between the management of twenty-nine West Coast ports and the longshore union began when the contract for around 20,000 port workers expired in July.

Empty shelves aren't a problem, yet.

That's because retailers planned in advance "to make sure that it didn't interrupt the holiday shopping season," said Jason Brewer of the Retail Industry Leader's Association. But "they're sort of running out of tricks," he added.

The ripple effects of the months-long contract dispute are, however, beginning to show up in less visible ways far inland.

Auto industry workers are running out of things to do.

Honda said on Monday it would "stop or reduce production on multiple days" at six facilities over the next week because of "parts shortages." Spokesman Mark Morrison said the company is running out of transmissions and electronic parts.

Toyota and Subaru also said they would modify their operations.

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