The ongoing labour disruption at US West Coast ports led to the shutdown of the Port of Seattle on Saturday.

On June 10, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), representing terminal operators and carriers, reported that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) had organized coordinated and disruptive work actions that resulted in the shutdown of cargo operations at the Port of Seattle.

According to the PMA, the ILWU instructed workers to engage in work slowdowns during the second and third shifts on June 9, which ultimately brought cargo operations at the Port of Seattle to a standstill and resulted in employees being sent home.

The ILWU's refusal to deploy workers to the container terminals of the Port of Seattle for the first shift on Saturday, June 10, resulted in the closure of the port.

However, the ILWU has denied that its actions are causing the port closures and has expressed its commitment to engaging in negotiations for a "fair and equitable" agreement.

Willie Adams, president of ILWU International, said contrary to reports of a port shutdown, the workers are actually working as usual.

"Despite what you are hearing from PMA, West Coast ports are open as we continue to work under our expired collective bargaining agreement," Adams said.

Since May 10, 2022, negotiations for a new contract between longshoremen and the ports have been ongoing with limited progress, as the previous contract expired on July 1, 2022.

The situation has escalated recently, with an increase in verbal exchanges between the two sides. There has also been a rise in smaller-scale actions, such as work slowdowns at various ports along the US West Coast, triggering fears of a new round of disruptions at some of North America's busiest ports.