The contract standoff at U.S. West Coast ports appears to be entering a new and more contentious phase. Port employers are accusing unionized dockworkers of slowing container handling at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes the new barbs suggest that tensions in the long-running negotiations are getting worse and points to the potential for deeper disruptions at the nation’s busiest gateway for imported consumer goods. The details are that the employer group says dockworkers last week stopped staggering their meal breaks at the ports, creating one-hour mealtime gaps that have led to delays in box movements. The union says its workers have the right to take meals together. But the bigger issue is that cargo volumes at the ports are in steep decline. A showdown that ties up the flow of goods is likely to push more business to other gateways.

A nascent boom in the market for soybean oil is facing unexpected headwinds from the Environmental Protection Agency. The commodity is tied up in the meeting point between agriculture and fuel, leaving it subject to shifts in energy markets. The WSJ’s Bob Henderson reports soybean oil futures tumbled after the EPA last December proposed to mandate less use of biomass-based diesel through 2025 than expected. The price of soybean oil has roughly doubled over the past three years, largely because of demand to make fuel for trucks and trains. Visions of soybean-powered truck fleets prompted a kind of green-oil boom in the Midwest, with bean-crushing plants in place of derricks and drills. But companies have little economic motive to make diesel from soybean oil without government incentives, which are aimed at reducing carbon emissions, so the EPA news has put some projects on pause.

• European diesel supplies are tightening after two weeks of labor actions at French refineries. (Reuters)

Ukraine’s grain harvest is thinning out as Russia’s invasion of the country takes a toll on production and disrupts exports. Kyiv expects farmers to harvest up to 15% less grain this year than last, the WSJ’s Alistair MacDonald reports, a stark sign of how the war continues to disrupt critical food supplies even as a fragile shipping agreement keeps bulk trade moving through Black Sea ports. The transport hurdles are helping reshape the country’s agricultural supply chains. Officials say some farmers have switched to crops that are easier to transport abroad, like sunflower seeds and soybeans. Those crops produce lower yields than wheat, leaving less tonnage for export. To avoid relying on Black Sea ports, Ukraine is exporting more of its goods by land, which is more expensive and time consuming. The production pullback this year follows a steep reduction in the grain harvest a year ago.

The U.S. index of leading economic indicators fell in February for the 11th straight month. (MarketWatch)

A United Nations panel of scientists said there is a “feasible, but narrow pathway” to avoid the worst effects of climate change. (WSJ)

Amazon is cutting 9,000 more corporate jobs across units that include its cloud-computing and advertising businesses. (WSJ)

Stanley Black & Decker is closing factories in Texas and South Carolina, relocating some operations to Tennessee facilities. (WSJ)

Foot Locker says it is rebuilding its relationship with apparel supplier Nike. (WSJ)

Foot Locker is closing 400 of its U.S. mall-based stores by 2026. (Retail Dive)

Big commodity traders expect limited fallout in their markets from banking sector turmoil. (Financial Times)

India plans to develop seven large textile manufacturing parks aimed at boosting the country’s exports to $100 billion by 2030. (Business Standard)

BJ’s Wholesale says its use of store employees to help fulfill same-day delivery orders has made the operation more efficient. (Supply Chain Dive)

FedEx is retiring its MD-11 aircraft and replacing them with 767 and 777 freighters. (The Loadstar)

Athens-based tanker and bulk ship manager Heidmar is going public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. (TradeWinds)

Prices for new ships at shipyards have increased 2% so far this year. (Splash247)

Pittsburgh-based trucker R&R Express is buying Denver-based Load to Ride. (Transport Dive)

U.S. customs seized six African large snails in passenger baggage at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. (NPR)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.