The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Sunday announced plans for a widespread strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports, scheduled to begin at 12:01 am on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
The strike would involve 85,000 ILA members and impact ports from Maine to Texas, the ILA said in a Sunday update posted to Facebook.
“United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation where Ocean Carriers profits skyrocketed from millions to mega-billion dollars, while ILA longshore wages remained flat,” the update said.
The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) haven’t bargained since June in a dispute largely over wages and a union-proposed ban on increased automation of port cranes, gates, and trucks that could cost jobs.
The potential work stoppage will affect 45,000 port workers at 36 ports responsible for handling more than 40 percent of total containerized goods entering the U.S. The strike also comes at a particularly challenging time for ocean supply chains, which have already faced significant disruptions in 2024 due to conflicts in the Red Sea, drought in the Panama Canal, and the Baltimore bridge collapse.
The Biden administration has indicated that the president does not plan to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act, a federal law that allows presidential intervention in labor disputes that create a national emergency.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden said he did not intend to intervene to prevent a walkout if dock workers failed to secure a new contract by an Oct. 1 deadline. He told reporters, ““It’s collective bargaining. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley.”
Photo courtesy NRF
