Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:52 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2024, to reflect new information.
Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, has updated the union’s list of demands after dockworkers began striking against employers at ports across the U.S. East and Gulf coasts starting Tuesday.
“We are now demanding $5 an hour increase in wages for each of the six years of a new ILA-USMX Master Contract,” said ILA President Harold Daggett in a news release emailed Tuesday afternoon. “Plus, we want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA.”
The strikes are expected to cost the U.S. $5 billion per day, by some estimates, and stunt supply chains across the Eastern Seaboard. This is the first time since 1977 that a port strike of this magnitude has rocked the country.
A statement released late Tuesday by the United States Maritime Alliance representing terminal operators and ocean lines said in part,
“We have demonstrated a commitment to doing our part to end the completely avoidable ILA strike. Our current offer of a nearly 50% wage increase exceeds every other recent union settlement, while addressing inflation, and recognizing the ILA’s hard work to keep the global
economy running. We look forward to hearing from the union about how we can return to the table and actually bargain, which is the only way to reach a resolution.”
The strike came after last-minute offers from both sides failed to reach an agreement on a new master contract. The two groups negotiated back and forth up until late Monday night, when the union’s deadline for a strike expired at midnight.
Vessel operator Trailer Bridge, which operates out of the Port of Jacksonville, Fla., under a separate contract with the ILA, said union employees did not show up for work this morning.
“Despite our agreement, the ILA did not show up to work our Jacksonville barge operations today, Oct. 1,” said Chief Executive Mitch Luciano in a posting to the company’s Facebook page. “We fully expected our ILA partners to honor our agreement and continue to work with us throughout the strike, which is what our team has communicated to customers up to this point.
“Our port team is activating our contingency plan now and our Jacksonville port is already fully operational. We understand the important role we play in delivering essential goods to our neighbors in Puerto Rico and will work around the clock to ensure ZERO (sic) disruptions throughout the duration of this labor union work stoppage.”
The union on Tuesday continued to blame employers for the work stoppage.
“USMX brought on this strike when they decided to hold firm to foreign-owned ocean carriers earning billion-dollar profits at United States ports, but not compensate the American ILA longshore workers who perform the labor that brings them their wealth,” said ILA President Harold Daggett, the leader of the 85,000-member ILA union, in a statement. “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.”
The union said employers’ latest reported wage increase proposal of 50% over the six years of a new contract fell short of demands by its rank-and-file members to ratify a new contract.
“USMX owns this strike now,” said Daggett. “They now must meet our demands for this strike to end.”
The Teamsters union, meanwhile, announced its support for the longshoremen’s union in a news release Monday night.
“The ocean carriers are on strike against themselves after failing to negotiate a contract that recognizes the value of these workers,” the Teamsters stated in the release. “Our ILA brothers and sisters play a critical role in keeping the American economy running, and they deserve industry-leading wages and robust job protections for the vital work they perform.
“The U.S. government should stay the f— out of this fight and allow union workers to withhold their labor for the wages and benefits they have earned. Any workers — on the road, in the ports, in the air — should be able to fight for a better life free of government interference. Corporations for too long have been able to rely on political puppets to help them strip working people of their inherent leverage.”
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien joined Longshoremen on strike Tuesday in a display of solidarity with workers. A post by the Teamsters on X/Twitter stated that the unions stand united to secure a contract.
–with contributions from Stuart Chirls in New Jersey
Find more articles by Caleb Revill here.
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