Washington, D.C.—June 24, 2009 — Directors from six United States West Coast port authorities will hold a press conference on Wednesday, June 24th at 8:00 a.m. to push for federal investment to help create jobs and stay competitive with ports in Panama, Mexico and Canada and continue to serve as a global gateway for imports and U.S. manufactured exports.

Directors from the Ports of Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Portland are in Washington, D.C. to educate policy makers on the effects of the economic recession and the resulting job losses. West Coast Ports have seen their container traffic drop 21.5 percent in the first quarter of 2009, compared to 2008.

West Coast Ports are among the largest employers and job generators in the western United State with over 160,000 jobs directly tied to the ports – with more direct employees in the U.S. than for the Big Three U.S. automakers. The salaries of those jobs associated with West coast ports are also comparable to the automakers with annual pay averaging between $70,000 and $80,000.

About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest containerport in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport offers 150 daily nonstop flights to 34 destinations; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Please visit: www.portofoakland.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Robert Bernado, Manager
Media & Public Relations Department
(510) 627-1401
[email protected]