In the wake of tariffs, cargo at the Port of LA is down 35%

Each weekday morning outside the Dispatch Office of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 13, dozens of dock workers gather, hoping to get some work at the vast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Usually it’s relatively easy to find – and workers are given a white slip of paper with details of where to go and when to show up.

But on Tuesday morning, many left empty-handed.

“Less volume of cargo containers means less work for us,” said longshore worker Charlie Camacho. His job typically consists of loading and unloading shipping containers. “So we feel it, we definitely feel it,” he said.

Together these two ports comprise an extremely busy port complex – the Port of Los Angeles alone is the busiest in the Western Hemisphere. But in the month or so since tariffs against Chinese goods ratcheted up – port officials here have been predicting a drop in cargo. This week, they announced it was down 35% compared to the same week last year.

The immediate impact of the cargo decline affects virtually every business around the ports: trucking, shipping, distribution centers, and others. But port officials say this downturn will soon be felt much more broadly – by manufacturers and retailers around the country, as well as consumers.

Volume down, local businesses suffering 

In 2024, approximately 31% of everything that came into or out of the U.S. in shipping containers over water, came through this port complex. Last year, the ports handled 19.9 million of those containers – but it’s likely to be less in 2025.

Camacho, whose family has worked at the ports for three generations, spoke with pride about working as part of this system.

“My grandmother was one of the first women to work at the ports,” he said. “I sometimes think I am doing this for her.”

When asked about his chances of finding work on Tuesday, he was not optimistic – “Ah man, like 25 percent, maybe,” he responded.

He ultimately left the dispatch office with no gig.

It’s not just longshore workers who are being affected – a dip in cargo affects a huge ecosystem of businesses that are connected to the importing and exporting of goods in Southern California.

Frank Groves is an independent salesman who makes his money selling gloves and safety gear to port workers. He was also at the dispatch hall on Tuesday, trying to find customers – but he says business has dropped nearly 75 percent in recent weeks.

“No sales at all really. If they aren’t working I don’t make money,” he said.

Rob Walpole‘s business is also down. He’s the CEO of Customs Goods, which is based in nearby Carson, California and handles shipments of products once they arrive at the ports.

“We’ve seen significant reductions of import shipping volumes into this country,” he said. “That means significantly less volumes we will be handling on behalf of our customers.”

“You name it, they all come through our ports”

“The situation is not good,” said Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “People are quite concerned, absolutely.“

According to the Port’s website, 1 in 12 jobs in Los Angeles and Long Beach are supported by the ports. But their economic footprint goes well beyond Los Angeles and California.

“The impact the Port of Los Angeles has on the city, the region, and the country cannot be understated,” said Seroka. “The cargo that moves through this port reaches not only all 50 states, but each one of our 435 congressional districts.”

That could include food, medical supplies, manufacturing components, and finished products, according to Sal Di Constanzo, a labor Relations Representative for the ILWU Local 13.

The port lists furniture, auto parts, apparel and electronics among their top imports.

“You name it, they all come through our ports,” Di Constanzo said.

According to Seroka, big importers say shoppers could start to see shortages in four to six weeks, once inventory that was stockpiled ahead of the tariffs runs out. He says they also may start to see significant price hikes.

Long-term concerns

Even if the increased tariffs go away, some of these problems could persist for a while, said Diane Middleton. She’s a former Los Angeles City Harbor Commissioner who has been working with the ports for more than 50 years.

“You don’t just have ships lined up like taxi cabs,” she said. “You have to reserve vessels. You have to specify a time. Once you’ve cut all that off, you can’t bring it back in a minute.”

And in the long term, she added, decades-old trade patterns may be permanently changed. She thinks that while the U.S. will always be a desired customer, countries like China may seek out others with less political upheaval in the trade sector to do business with in the future.