• TPM25
  • March 2-5, 2025 | Long Beach Convention Center

Carl Bentzel

National Association of Waterfront Employers

President

Carl Bentzel was nominated by President Trump to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in 2019, serving a term through June 2024. In December 2024, he became President of the National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) and Executive Director of the National Maritime Safety Association, leading advocacy and safety initiatives in the maritime industry.

Previously, Bentzel headed federal advocacy at DCI Group and founded a consulting firm focused on regulatory and legislative issues. He served for a decade as Senate committee staff, helping craft landmark legislation like the Maritime Security Act of 1996 and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, earning awards from the U.S. Coast Guard and Maritime Security Council.

Bentzel holds a J.D. from the University of Alabama, an LL.M. from Tulane’s Admiralty Law Institute, and a B.A. from St. Lawrence University.

Sessions With Carl Bentzel

Monday, 3 March

  • 02:50pm - 03:30pm (PST) / 03/mar/2025 10:50 pm - 03/mar/2025 11:30 pm

    North American Longshore Labor: Where Do We Go From Here?

    With a deal now in place that averted another East and Gulf coast strike as of Jan. 15, it’s time to take stock of the lasting impact and implications of the latest round of contentious and disruptive negotiations on both the East and West coasts. The Jan. 8 agreement between employers and the International Longshoremen’s Association, which had the explicit backing of Donald Trump, concluded nearly three years of constant US port labor disruption since the ILWU contract on the West Coast expired in July 2022. Specifically, the combative ILWU negotiating cycle triggered periodic disruption and months of uncertainty at Los Angeles-Long Beach and other West Coast ports, triggering mass diversions by BCOs to alternative gateways. Longshore labor turmoil in North America hasn’t been limited to US ports, with a string of disruptive events affecting Montreal, Vancouver, and others. TPM25 will therefore be a moment to take stock of an active stretch of longshore labor activity and seek to understand the long-term meaning for containerized supply chains. Evidence across automotive, rail, aviation, aerospace, hospitality and other industries points to a still-heightened period of labor activism, with longer-term implications for freight transportation, especially seaports. Labor will unquestionably be an issue BCOs will need to keep a close eye on, and we’ll assess the issue in this session.

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