With the clock ticking toward the November election and the December Christmas holidays, the union representing dockworkers launched a strike Tuesday at ports on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.
The union is demanding a 77 percent increase in wages over a six-year contract, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It’s a strike that could “cripple” the economy,” the union’s leader said in a video last month.
“When my men hit the streets, from Maine to Texas, every single port will lock down,” International Longshoreman’s Association President Harold Daggett said in a video reported by The Wall Street Journal.
He outlined the gradually expanding effects of the strike in chilling terms:
It’s official: 45,000 port workers are now on strike, from Maine to Texas.
“We will cripple you” – Head of ILA pic.twitter.com/ivetfkDCud
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 1, 2024
“In today’s world, I’ll cripple you,” he said (1:33). “I will cripple you. And you have no idea what that means. Nobody does.”
Are you worried about the potential impacts of this strike?
On Tuesday, he encouraged his members to stand strong.
“I want to tell you all what you’re doing is right. This is going down in history, what we’re doing here,” he said in a video statement, according to CNN.
“We’re going to show them … because nothing’s going to move without us.”
The union is also demanding rules to govern automation at the ports that it says threatens union jobs.
“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” Daggett said in a statement, according to CNN.
United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the shipping lines targeted by the strike, is made up entirely of foreign-owned companies, according to CNN.
It has offered a wage increase of 50 percent over the life of the next six-year contract, CNN reported.
However, the two sides haven’t met in person since June, according to CNN, making a strike all but inevitable.
The maritime alliance, which uses the acronym USMX, faults the union for the lack of face-to-face negotiations. The union refused to even meet until the association accepted its wage demand, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Meanwhile, perishable goods that are imported, such as cherries and bananas, could be more expensive within a week, according to CNN.
“According to the American Farm Bureau, 1.2 million metric tons of bananas come in through the struck ports, representing about one quarter of the nation’s bananas,” CNN reported.
Holiday-related goods are likely to be less affected, since most has been imported by now in preparation for the season even in normal years. Since the strike has been expected, that was moved up, according to CNN.
However, a disruption of supply chains on a national level will likely catch the attention of voters with a presidential election looming.
President Joe Biden, who has struggled with union voters, is resisting requests to involve the federal government in ending the strike. Vice President Kamala Harris is going to need union support in the November election.
“The President has directed his team to convey his message directly to both sides that they need to be at the table and negotiating in good faith — fairly and quickly,” the White House said in a statement, according to CNN.
“Senior White House and Administration officials continue to work around the clock to get both sides to continue negotiating towards a resolution.”
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