That's a LOT of Stuff: "The Port of LA has just seen cargoes hit record highs"

Jamie Powell and Claire Jones writing at FT Alphaville before they take over the entire FT empire:

More evidence of how strong demand for consumer durables is right now.

Regular readers will know that we’re not at all convinced that enough is being done to emphasise the role high demand is playing in the supply chain logjams that are making headlines pretty much every day right now.  

With that in mind, we’d like to point you to the latest news from the Port of Los Angeles:

The Port of Los Angeles processed 903,865 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in September, the busiest September ever in the Port’s 114-year history. Year to date, overall cargo volume stands at 8,176,917 TEUs, an increase of 26% compared to 2020. 

Yes, that’s right, during September, with several Covid restrictions still in place, the port managed to process a record amount of cargo. 

The news comes after President Joe Biden said the port would open 24/7 in the run-up to Christmas. We’re not hedging our bets that this will have a drastic improvement in unblocking the US’s clogged up supply chains. 

What Biden’s big idea may well do, however, is add to the sense of chagrin felt by workers at the port and other parts of the logistics chain. This could worsen the labour shortages that have been a factor in the supply chain snags seen in the US and in Europe. Workers could refuse to take the longer hours, only exacerbating the logjam....

....MUCH MORE

So, no National Guard acting as stevedores in Long Beach. The dockworkers would just stop working and get a giggle watching the newbies operate the cranes.

(additionally, contrary to the thoughts of some commenters on this story the dockworkers were commanding six-figure paychecks five years ago. It's probably up to $150K in 2021)

Here is another analyst weighing in on the demand-side of the issue: