Representatives of unionized dockworkers this week unanimously supported leadership calls for a strike at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports if a new contract with employers isn’t reached by Oct. 1.
Nearly 300 International Longshoremen’s Association delegates concluded two days of meetings in New Jersey by unanimously supporting International President Harold J. Daggett’s call for a coastwide strike at ports from Maine to Texas on Oct. 1 if a new Master Contract with United States Maritime Alliance employers to replace the current six-year pact is not reached by that time.
During the second day of meetings in Teaneck, New Jersey, details of the job action were presented to representatives from 13 port areas that are part of the ILA-USMX agreements, the ILA said in a release. The current contract is set to expire on Sept. 30.
A lengthy work stoppage could have devastating effects on the U.S. economy. The current contract covers six of 10 of the busiest U.S. container ports handling more than 13 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually, or as much as 56% of all inbound containers, according to the Retail Industry Leaders Association. It also comes as importers take delivery of goods for the critical holiday selling season.
The political implications are uncertain. While the Biden administration was active in labor talks to head off a railroad strike in 2022, the ILA has so far rejected government intervention in bargaining. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been aggressively cultivating union votes ahead of the election. But any action would have to balance the national interests against labor’s support to respond to calls that are sure to come to mitigate economic damage.
One looming option is the Taft-Hartley Act, which in essence gives the administration powers to order the longshore union back to work while talks resume. It was last invoked by President George W. Bush to end a walkout by West Coast dockworkers ahead of the 2002 election.