Truckers Strike Scheduled to Begin Winding Down

A weeklong protest by independent truckers that has disrupted freight shipments at Los Angeles-area ports and rail yards was scheduled to end Wednesday night, leaving many importers and exporters anxious to move stranded merchandise.

“It’s certainly having an impact,” said Jay Winter, executive secretary of the Foreign Trade Assn. of Southern California. “If it ends, everybody will heave a big sigh of relief and get back to business.”

Some in the trucking and trade community worry that the protest, which is not centrally organized, could continue.

“The strike is supposed to be over tonight, but they (truckers) are not sure,” said Charlie Woo, who has been unable to move 60 containers of toys stranded at the Los Angeles harbor. Many of those toys are supposed to be delivered to retailers across the country before Thanksgiving.

“If it gets out Thursday and Friday, I still have a chance,” said Woo. “I’m sitting on pins and needles.”

Importer Pat Rost is worried that his shipment of Chinese-made 1920s-style radios also will not make it from the harbor to stores in time for the after-Thanksgiving sales. Rost is trying to persuade his customers to save space for his radios.

Protesters, angry over fuel price hikes and stagnant incomes, formed picket lines Wednesday at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles without incident, according to police and harbor officials.