Posts tagged United States Maritime Alliance
Dockworkers to resume contract negotiations as strike threat looms
January 4, 2025 // The big sticking point holding up a deal is automation. The union wants to hold it back and stop the installation of more semi-automated cranes at the ports. (Two ports, in Norfolk, Virginia, and Bayonne, New Jersey, already use the technology.) The group representing port employers, the United States Maritime Alliance, wants to advance its use of technology.
U.S. port, union talks break down again over automation, with two months to go before potential strike
November 13, 2024 // USMX says the use of semi-automated cranes, already at many ports, is critical to future supply chain demands. The International Longshoremen's Association, which is not publicly commenting, has said in the recent past that the union wants new contract language to clearly state that "no automation means no automation."
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su Criticizes Donald Trump’s Labor Record at IOP
October 22, 2024 // Though Su declined to address the former president by name, she argued that “hypothetically,” opposition to overtime pay, sexual harassment, and support for Elon Musk are incompatible with a “pro-worker” position. “I don’t care how many McDonald’s drive-throughs you pretend to work at,” Su said, referencing Trump’s Sunday visit to a Philadelphia McDonald’s where he served fries and answered questions through the drive-through window. Su was joined by Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO to discuss the future of the American Labor Movement. Brett Story and Stephen Maing, directors of “UNION”— a documentary film that followed the unionization of Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York — were also on the panel.
Opinion: What Buc-ee’s Can Teach Us About the Port Strike
October 12, 2024 // They care most about sheer numbers, from which both union dues and political power—and thus the leaders’ incredibly high salaries—are derived. So, they’ll fight like hell to keep the people they have, even as doing so contradicts not only the economics—and real-world lessons like Buc-ee’s—but also our current labor market reality, in which workers, not jobs, are increasingly scarce. In that world, it makes oodles of sense to embrace automation and other productivity enhancements, whether at the ports or anywhere else, and any other benefits are just the barbecue sauce on top. In the union’s world, however, the system’s working perfectly, and the government-protected sauce already flows.
Port Strike Leader Harold Daggett and ILA Union’s Political Donations
October 3, 2024 // In 2022, the PAC contributed nearly double, with $220,000 to Democratic candidates and $13,500 to Republicans. In the last 10 years, most annual contributions have averaged under $200,000—significantly less than in previous decades. In 2000, the PAC gave $562,300 to Democrats and $41,750 to Republicans, a total of $607,050. The largest individual campaign donations at the time were $18,000 to then-Democratic Whip David Bonior. A separately registered ILA PAC identifies North Bergen, New Jersey—where the union is headquartered—in its name. Similarly, the PAC contributes to campaigns and other PACs, making several small donations to state and U.S. House races. In 2020, it donated $5,000 to Biden's presidential campaign and $50,000 to a general majority PAC, according to OpenSecrets.
Largest port on U.S. East Coast, New York/New Jersey, begins prepping for what could be first union strike since 1977
September 20, 2024 // The ILA represents over 85,000 port workers, and a strike would shut down five of the 10 busiest ports in North America, and a total of 36 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts. Close to half (43%-49%) of all monthly U.S. imports would be impacted, representing billions of dollars in trade, and logistics firms are preparing contingency plans last used during Covid and 2018 tariffs. Currently, there is an estimated $34 billion in freight in route to these ports on 147 ocean vessels.
Report: Biden won’t block dock strike
September 18, 2024 // International Longshoremen’s Association has set Oct. 1 strike deadline at East and Gulf Coast ports. Taft-Hartley Act grants presidents powers to intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period, and forcing employees back to work while negotiations continue.
Half a century later, ILA returns to strike mode
September 13, 2024 // The ILA is one of the least aggressive unions when it comes to coastwide strikes, especially relative to its militant West Coast counterpart: the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which orchestrated stoppages and slowdowns just last year to attain its desired contract. In many respects, then, the ILA is riding the wave of labor’s recent successes that were achieved through hard-line tactics. In August 2023, the Teamsters celebrated the ratification of a new agreement with UPS. A few months later, the United Auto Workers secured large pay raises and other benefits for its members after a 46-day strike against Ford, Stellantis and General Motors.
ILA Starts Preparations for East and Gulf Coast Port Strike on October 1
August 6, 2024 // Bloomberg in its report highlights that that a strike would impact six of the 10 busiest U.S. ports. Trade groups presenting retailers and manufacturers have already called for government involvement to oversee the negotiations while many commentators point out the strike would come just weeks before the U.S. presidential election. “With less than 30 days to go before the end of our current Master Contract when these meetings are held, we must prepare our locals and our ILA membership for a strike on October 1, 2024. Two generations of ILA members have come into the industry since our last strike in 1977,” said Harold J. Daggett, the president of the ILA. The union has repeatedly said it would seek to oppose any future efforts at port automation and cargo handling and would also seek to roll back its past allowances.
ILA: Threat of Strike at US East and Gulf Coast Ports “Growing More Likely”
July 17, 2024 // The ILA has a firm stance against increased port automation and singled out the auto gate system to highlight its position. They contend that APM introduced the system that makes it possible to process trucks without ILA labor. Further, they allege that they have observed “an increasing number of IT personnel on marine terminals,” with concern that APM Terminals is encroaching on the union’s jurisdiction. They also questioned if the system is being used in other ports. Economists and the made trade organizations for retailers and apparel manufacturing have all warned of the potential impact a strike could have on already fragile supply chains. There have been repeated calls for the Biden administration to step in to bring the two sides to the negotiating table and guide the process. The Department of Labor helped to resolve the 2023 issues with the West Coast ports which had spent a year negotiating their dockworkers contract.