If the port strike occurs it will be really, really ugly for the economy
Union: East Coast Port Strike to Start Tuesday
A port strike on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico will go ahead starting on Tuesday, the International Longshoremen’s Association union said on Sunday, signaling action that could cause delays and snarl supply chains.
“United States Maritime Alliance … refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation,” the union said in a statement. The United States Maritime Alliance, known as USMX, represents employers of the East and Gulf Coast longshore industry.
USMX did not immediately comment.
If union members walk off the job at ports stretching from Maine to Texas, it would be the first coast-wide ILA strike since 1977, affecting ports that handle about half the nation’s ocean shipping.
Think about everything that comes in to those ports and not being able to get them off the ships. Cars, food, electronics. Consider Baltimore, which is first in handling autos, light trucks, farm and construction machinery, and imported forest products, aluminum, and sugar. And then all the goods shipped out of the ports from Maine to Texas. And there were no negotiations Sunday, and none planned Monday before the midnight deadline
The White House did not immediately comment on the union’s statement. Earlier 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.
“It’s collective bargaining. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley,” he told reporters. Presidents can intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act. Reuters first reported on Sept. 17 that Biden did not plan to invoke the Taft-Hartley provision, citing a White House official. A strike could stop the flow of everything from food to automobiles at major ports – in a dispute that could jeopardize jobs and stoke inflation weeks ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
This strike will be bad for the economy, and the ripples will start fast. I have to wonder, is Biden refusing to get involved because of the way he was shoved out the door, and this is some quiet revenge on Harris? Because she’s still part of the Biden-Harris administration, and bad economic issues can hurt the incumbent/incumbent party.
The group warned a labor stoppage could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars daily “hurting American businesses, workers and consumers across the country. We urge both sides to come to an agreement before Monday night’s deadline.” For months, the union has threatened to shut down the 36 ports it covers if employers like container ship operator Maersk and its APM Terminals North America do not deliver significant wage increases and stop terminal automation projects.
The more the workers demand in compensation the more automation will be implemented.
Read: East Coast Port Strike To Start Tuesday Unless A Miracle Occurs »
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