NEWARK, NJ  - A protest is shutting down Port Newark and Elizabeth.
There is no activity going on at the ports and trucks are not allowed in or out, a Port Authority spokesman said.

 

Maher Terminals is also reporting the portwide work stoppage at this hour. 

 

The Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is apparently protesting a decision by Del Monte Fresh Produce to move its Camden, NJ location to a less costly port.

 

There are unconfirmed reports a strike is also occurring at the Port of Philadelphia.  

 

On Labor Day, dock workers at the Port of Philadelphia tossed pineapples into the Delaware River to protest Del Monte's decision to move its produce operations to a less costly port.

The group will lose 200 to 300 jobs when Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. shifts its cargo from union ports in Camden, N.J., to the nearby Gloucester Terminals LLC, according to a report on Philly.com. Gloucester Terminals is privately owned and pays workers less.

Sources: The Star Ledger, Associated Press, Philly.com, Maher Terminals, BDP International