The planned talks are a welcome sign for importers and exporters bracing for a labor disruption that would shut every major port on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. 

The ILA and USMX have until January 15 to come to a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement to avert another strike at U.S. ports.

Across Appriss Retail's 60 U.S. retail clients, total merchandise returns in 2024 were valued at $685 billion, and made up more than 13% of all sales.

With contentious union negotiations, rapid advancements in automation and AI, and growing global scrutiny on human rights abuses, 2025 is set to be a transformative year for labor.

The bill would require 10% of all import cargo into the United States from China to arrive on vessels built, flagged and crewed in the U.S.

Data released by the port on December 26 shows that full imports increased by more than 13% year-over-year in November 2024. 

The largest increase in returns came from cosmetics and personal care items, which saw a 36% year-over-year jump.

The Teamsters say that they plan to continue their fight against Amazon, but did not specify where or when any additional strikes might occur in the weeks ahead.

Conventional metrics, like cost and annual spend, have historically guided supplier performance evaluations, but they miss the true operational risks posed by potential disruptions.

Manufacturers such as BYD and SAIC-owned MG accounted for 7.4% of EV registrations across Europe in November, down from 8.2% in October.