Four months after helping to resolve a long-running labor dispute that crippled traffic at West Coast ports, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez was back in California to praise how quickly workers and management were able to clear enormous backlogs of cargo.
But he also pointed to long-term challenges facing the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as they work to remain the dominant hub for transpacific trade.
"Location, location, location in this competitive global economy is not enough," Perez said at a news conference Monday in San Pedro with port officials and local political leaders.