An ongoing labor dispute at U.S. West Coast ports has not slowed production at Toyota’s Gibson County plant, the automaker says.
For several months, America’s 29 West Coast ports have been affected by a labor dispute between the International Longshore Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.
U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez met with both sides Tuesday in San Francisco to urge a resolution, according to The Associated Press.
Tania Saldana, a spokeswoman for Toyota’s North American manufacturing headquarters in Erlanger, Kentucky, said the automaker is closely watching the situation, which she described as “very fluid.”
Toyota uses some 500 North American suppliers, she said, but some parts come from overseas.
Saldana said Toyota has been using air shipments as a workaround for the West Coast port slowdowns.
But, Saldana said, Toyota’s Gibson County plant has not experienced any port-related production slowdowns.
Saldana provided Toyota’s official statement on the matter:
“Due to delays in the processing of overseas parts at the West Coast ports, we have adjusted overtime at some plants in North America as needed. In an effort to minimize production disruptions we are expediting shipments by air, a standard method we use as needed. On the other hand, at this point, we have not seen a significant impact on our vehicle import/export operations caused by this port situation. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
On Tuesday, Toyota’s Princeton plant canceled first-shift production for both its East and West plants, and it also canceled second-shift production for its West Plant. Those cancellations were related to weather that disrupted parts delivery, Toyota said. Production shifts were back to normal Wednesday.