Jun. 13—A labor dispute between groups representing West Coast dockworkers and their employers has caused brief delays for a major shipping company that hauls food and products from Tacoma, Washington, to the Port of Alaska, an official with the company said.

But the negotiations aren't expected to result in shortages on store shelves in Alaska, officials say.

Over the last week, three cargo ships with Matson have arrived at the port in Anchorage several hours late, following their journey from Tacoma, said Dylan Faber, a community and government affairs manager with Matson.

"No one is striking, operations continue and all parties are at the table," he said of the negotiations involving West Coast ports. "It's just a bit of a slowdown."

The marine shipper sends two ships to Alaska weekly, on Sunday and Tuesday.

Its counterpart Tote, following the same weekly schedule, has not experienced delays, according to Jim Jager, a spokesman with the port.

"Both lines have been making all their deliveries, but the Matson ship has been running a little late," Jager said. "The bottom line is for basic consumer goods and food, we may have minor delays, but as it looks right now, we don't anticipates shortages or inability to get cargo."

The shipments are vastly important in a state with just days' supply of store food and one major gateway — the Port of Alaska — that accepts half the state's freight.

Jager said ship delays are nothing new at the port. Bad weather on the ocean, especially during winter, is one reason ships fall behind schedule, often for several hours or longer, he said.

"This is not a reason to panic," he said. "We have delays all the time."

The delays come as labor negotiations continue between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing dockworkers, and the Pacific Maritime Association, the group representing their employers.

Matson and dozens of other companies are members of the Pacific Maritime Association. Tote is not.

The West Coast ports, including in Tacoma, are responsible for more than 50% of all U.S. imports.

The labor talks have dragged on for more than a year, long after worker contracts expired in July. The Pacific Maritime Association has blamed the union for actions disrupting shipping, but the union has denied the allegations. The Biden administration is involved in hope of brokering a deal, amid concerns like those from the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that a prolonged disagreement could stoke greater inflation and a new round of supply shortages, akin to those experienced earlier in the pandemic.

The brief delays experienced by the Matson ships have the potential to inconvenience Alaska shoppers, Jager said.

"If you're a shopper at Fred Meyer or Carrs, and it's Tuesday evening and you want a particular bag of salad, you may have to go back and get it the next day," Jager said.

Jager said foreign cargo is the freight that's being impacted, but that could potentially lead to shipping complications for domestic freight. Because of the impacts to foreign freight, it's possible that Alaska manufacturing companies that need a specific item purchased overseas might have a problem getting their product as planned.

"If you're, say, a manufacturing company waiting for product (from a foreign country), that container of widgets you use in your product may be stuck a while," he said.