Frustrated that the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union are still negotiating a new labor contract for West Coast ports, 166 groups have called on President Barack Obama to immediately help resolve the contentious issue.

“We are seeking your help in moving the negotiations to mediation similar to what occurred during the contentious East Coast port labor negotiations in 2012,” the letter by the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation said. It included signatures from groups involved in the global supply chain and local communities such as the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association.

“We are extremely concerned the negotiations will now slip into 2015 and continue to cause problems for all industries that rely on the ports,” the letter said.

Other groups have also appealed to the Obama administration for intervention in the negotiations. The Pacific Maritime Association, the group representing shipping companies and terminal operators in labor negotiations, had asked the Obama administration on Monday for a federal mediator to intervene in the talks.

According to the groups, the Obama administration has said it will not take any action.