The union representing dockworkers in the United States, who went on strike during the fall of last year, has returned to negotiate with port employers. They have threatened to strike again this month along the East Coast and Gulf Coast.
On Thursday, we confirmed that the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance would resume contract negotiations next Tuesday. Before another strike can occur, a contract must be signed by January 15.
In October, the two parties reached an agreement that would provide workers with a pay increase of 62% over six years. The automation issues were not resolved.
If a second strike occurs, the wage agreement agreed on in principle will no longer be valid. The two sides would be back to where they began.
Following a meeting with ILA President Harold Daggett and Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett in the last month, Donald Trump expressed his support to dockworkers fighting automation at U.S. ports.
Trump stated in his Truth Social platform, “The money [saved] by automation is not near the amount of distress, hurt, and harm caused to American Workers, or in this case, our longshoremen.” “Foreign companies made billions of dollars in the U.S. thanks to the access we granted them to our market.”
The president-elect stated, “They are making record profits. I’d rather that they spent them on the wonderful people who work at our docks instead of on expensive machinery that will have to be replaced constantly.”
Sources claimed that the USMX had been preparing for a meeting at the time with Trump’s Transition Team. They did not, however, specify the date of the meeting.
