Strike Averted & Anxiety Over Fiscal Cliff

Friday Nov 30th, 2012 31 Views Northwest Report

Strike Averted & Anxiety Over Fiscal Cliff. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

A potential strike between longshore workers and the Port of Portland has been averted. Negotiations between the Port of Portland and International Longshore and Warehouse Union ended with a tentative contract agreement averting a strike that would have shut down the Port’s marine terminals 2, 4 and 6. The strike would have meant ships carrying perishables would have to be diverted to the Puget Sound and would have meant higher shipping costs and longer delays.

Well not sure about you but I’m beginning to feel like a lemming...quickly being driven toward that cliff and certain financial ruin. The fiscal cliff is looming in the near future. Nebraska U.S. Senator and former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns says there is a path to the budget deal but it’s a two-step process.

JOHANNS: Let’s solve the problem now. Let’s bring certainty to year end. Let’s put in place the process to solve these issues long-term, then I think we can get there. We sure as heck can’t reform the tax code entitlements in 30 days. That’s for sure.

The mood in D.C. - Johanns says - is one of anxiety because the vast majority believe falling off the fiscal cliff is bad economic policy.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.