Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2024): On October 1, the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA), representing 45,000 workers at East and Gulf Coast Ports walked off the job due to contact demands not being met. The Ports represented by U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) have offered a 50 percent pay raise and increased benefits. The ILA is holding out for a 77 percent pay raise, a guarantee not to move to any form of automation that threatens union jobs, and a share of container royalties. With roughly half of U.S. commerce flowing through East and Gulf Coast Ports, a prolonged strike will disrupt supply chains during the critical holiday season.
U.S. supply chains are seriously threatened if ports are not operating at full capacity to keep goods flowing through the 14 East and Gulf Coast ports (Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Wilmington (NC), Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, New Orleans, Mobile, and Houston). With President Biden indicating he is not ready to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to force port workers to return to work, SFIA joined 180 business interests across America on October 2 in a letter to President Biden requesting he intervene in the labor dispute. The SFIA/U.S. business letter follows a request from Congressional Republicans asking the President to intervene and prevent a work stoppage at the ports. SFIA successfully engaged the Biden Administration for help on the West Coast Port Strike, the Rail Strike, and the UPS Strike to keep supply chains operating at full capacity.
The President has directed the ILA and USMX to return to the negotiating table and USMX met with Administration officials, but the ILA has declined to engage without a new contract offer. USMX has filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the ILA is not negotiating in good faith. With U.S. elections a month away, there is additional political pressure to resolve the strike and not have supply chain disruptions leading up to Election Day.
For more information, please contact Bill Sells, SFIA SVP for Government & Public Affairs, at [email protected].