The city of Chicago has threatened to revoke the licences of contractors that process cargo for airlines at O’Hare airport if they don’t open to union organizers, putting two-thirds of cargo traffic at this major international hub at risk of being stranded and stressing supply chains for an undetermined period.
Cargo airline executives warn it could take months to find replacement ground handling agents, leading to long backlogs at other overstretched facilities and forcing them to hunt for alternative airports that might permanently retain some of the $200 billion worth of annual imports and exports moving through O’Hare.
“There is no good short-term solution if this happens and there will be a massive airfreight disruption in the region impacting many businesses,” said Shawn McWhorter, Americas president for Nippon Cargo Airlines, in an email message.
Read more in an article from FreightWaves.