Union leaders have cut off negotiations for a new contract for port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts over automation concerns, a development that comes with less than two months to go before the docksiders say they’ll again strike if a fresh six-year deal for them isn’t inked. It’s a notable development for the promotional products market, which imports the vast majority of products it sells in North America on ships that bring goods from Asia and other parts of the world. A lengthy strike on the East and Gulf Coasts could seriously snarl the supply chain of the promo products industry and other sectors.

National Average Price for Regular – Current: $2.969; Month Ago: $2.782; Year Ago: $2.372. National Average Price for Diesel – Current: $3.208; Month Ago: $3.043; Year Ago: $2.510.

Transportation prices fell in February at the fastest rate recorded in the six-and-a-half-year history of a monthly survey of supply chain executives. The Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) registered a reading of 36.1 for transportation costs in February, 5.9 percentage points lower than in January and below the prior record, which was established in December. A level below 50 indicates contraction while one above signals expansion. The report said the rate declines were “a little more pronounced in the later portions of the month than in the beginning of the month.” “February is generally a low point seasonally due to the consumer spending hangover from the holidays in the U.S. combined with slowness in imports due to Chinese New Year, and that was certainly reflected this year,” the report stated.