Hello, today I bring you one of the most significant topics from our neighborhood discussions. Whenever customs news comes up, there's always the question of whether port workers are okay.

To be honest, I initially thought that if customs fees went up, the port would empty out immediately. But when I looked into the numbers, I found the situation to be much more complex than I expected.

First, let's look at some fresh numbers. Long Beach Port announced on October 16 that it handled 997,177 TEUs in September. TEU is a unit based on a 20-foot container.

This is the highest monthly record in Long Beach Port's history. The previous record was 987,191 TEUs in October 2024, so this surpasses that. Compared to last September, it's a 25% increase.

Breaking it down, imports increased by 31.3% to 509,390 TEUs. Exports rose by 7.8% to 91,747 TEUs. Empty containers increased by 22.1% to 396,040 TEUs.

It's notable that there are significantly more empty containers than export containers. This means that while many goods are coming in, most of what's going out are empty boxes.

From January to September this year, the cumulative total was 7,675,255 TEUs, which is a 3.9% increase compared to the same period last year. This suggests that even amidst the customs storm, ships continued to arrive. It's like a dog that says it won't go for a walk in the rain but ends up sitting at the front door.

So how did the port explain this record? CEO Noel Hasegawa mentioned that shippers are including Long Beach Port in their cost-cutting strategies. High diesel prices, restrictions on the Panama Canal, and the potential for a US-China trade agreement were cited as factors.

Interestingly, the word "customs" did not appear directly in the announcement. No one can definitively say whether this is due to customs or in spite of it.

Let's summarize the customs situation. The Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026, by a 6-3 vote that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not grant the president the authority to impose tariffs. Following this, IEEPA tariffs ended.

In its place, temporary tariffs under Trade Law Section 122 were implemented. They started at 10% and could only be used for a maximum of 150 days. Therefore, they expired in late July.

However, just as that expired, new tariffs based on Trade Law Section 301 came into effect. A 10% or 12.5% rate was applied to 60 trading countries. This new tariff has no set expiration date.

So, it's like the customs door closed, and then the side door opened immediately. It's like being happy that one toll booth is gone only to find a new toll booth at the next exit.

Now, let's move on to the real question about jobs. According to an economic impact study released by Long Beach Port in 2019, there were 51,090 port-related jobs in Long Beach City. That's about one in five jobs in the city.

When looking at all of Southern California, it was reported that 576,350 jobs are connected to the port. However, this study is a few years old, so the current numbers may differ.

Customs has indeed impacted jobs in the past. In the spring of 2025, the Port of LA reported that only 733 jobs were available for 1,575 port workers seeking employment across 25 shifts.

At that time, the ILWU Local 13 president stated that part-time workers had no work at all, and full-time workers might not be able to complete 40 hours a week. It wasn't layoffs, but working hours were significantly reduced.

Then there was a turnaround. Demand to bring in goods before customs hit led Long Beach Port to reach a record 9.9 million TEUs in 2025. Imports alone accounted for 4.8 million TEUs.

However, the port itself wasn't overly optimistic about this year. CEO Hasegawa referred to 2026 as a year of transition, projecting a handling of 9 million TEUs.

Another noteworthy number is that the share of China-related cargo in Long Beach Port trade decreased from 70% in 2019 to 60% in 2025. This signals that supply chains are gradually shifting to different countries.

So, in conclusion, are port jobs safe? My answer is that there's no immediate collapse, but fluctuations will continue. A record-breaking September doesn't guarantee anything for next spring.

Particularly, part-time or casual workers, truck drivers, and warehouse jobs are likely to be affected first. Remember that reductions in working hours came before layoffs last time. If your salary is tied to hours, it's wise to start saving an emergency fund.

If you work in or are preparing for port-related jobs, I recommend checking the cargo volume numbers released by the port each month. If the numbers decline for two or three consecutive months, working hours will soon be impacted.

If you're in trucking or logistics, it's best not to rely solely on one company or shipper. When cargo volumes decrease, those with only one client are often hit hardest. Skills that are applicable in both warehousing and ports, like forklift or equipment certifications, also serve as insurance.

To add my opinion, if customs policies change every few months based on different laws, it becomes impossible for on-site workers to plan. I believe there needs to be predictability in policies.

Of course, there are opposing views. Some argue that restructuring supply chains through tariffs is necessary for long-term American jobs. However, I hope we don't forget that the people who have to endure until that long-term arrives are our neighbors.

Today, we took a look at the anxieties hidden behind the record-breaking September numbers. If it were up to me, I would see this record as an opportunity to catch my breath rather than a reason to celebrate. I'll bring this up again when next month's cargo volume is released.