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BIDEN URGES PORT OPERATORS TO INCREASE WAGES FOR WORKERS  
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Michael Sainato
October 1, 2024
The Guardian
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_ Strike – first by port workers on US east coast since 1977 –
threatens to shut down ports from Maine to Texas _

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association picketing
on Tuesday at the Port of Savannah in Georgia., Adam Kuehl for The New
York Times

 

Joe Biden [[link removed]] has urged
port operators to give workers a “meaningful increase” in pay
after tens of thousands went on strike, prompting some of the busiest
ports in the US to brace for crippling disruption.

About 45,000 port workers represented by the International
Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began walking off the job after
their contracts expired at midnight, with 36 ports along the east and
Gulf coasts affected. They typically handle about half of the
nation’s ocean shipping.

Talks over a new contract between the ILA and the United States
Maritime Alliance (USMX) have broken down, and the union
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offer from operators hours before the strike was due to began.

Hours after the strike began, the White House issued a robust
statement calling on USMX to negotiate a “fair” contract that
reflects “the substantial contribution” of ports workers to
America’s economy.

“Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a
fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record
profits,” the US president said. “My administration will be
monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean
carriers, including those on the USMX board.”

The strike – the first by port workers strike on the US east coast
since 1977 – threatens to shut down ports from Maine to Texas,
mangling supply chains and straining the US economy.

As workers joined picket lines at ports including Philadelphia,
Houston and Virginia in the early hours, economists have warned that
failure to end the strike swiftly could lead to shortages and higher
prices.

Ocean carriers have enjoyed “record profits” since the pandemic,
Biden added, “and in some cases profits grew in excess of 800%
compared to their profits prior to the pandemic. Executive
compensation has grown in line with those profits and profits have
been returned to shareholders at record rates.

 
“It’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during
the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their
wages as well.”

 

Negotiators on both sides of the table have accused the other of
refusing to bargain. The ILA has argued
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that USMX, which represents 40 ocean terminals and port operators, has
“low-balled” offers on wage raises for workers and accused it of
violating the previous contract by introducing automation at several
US ports.

It is estimated
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the strike will cost the economy as much as $5bn a day. The union has
said
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will still handle military cargo, and that passenger cruise ships will
be unaffected.
In a statement issued after Biden’s intervention on Tuesday, port
operators said they were “proud” of the pay and benefits offered
to their employees.

“We have demonstrated a commitment to doing our part to end the
completely avoidable ILA strike,” USMX said, arguing that its latest
proposed wage increase “exceeds every other recent union
settlement” and addresses inflation. “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.”

In Philadelphia, the local ILA president, Boise Butler, said the union
would strike for as long as it needed to get a fair deal, and claimed
that it had leverage over the companies. “This is not something that
you start and you stop,” he told Associated Press. “We’re not
weak,” he added, pointing to the union’s importance to the
nation’s economy.

Shipping companies made billions during the pandemic by charging high
prices, and “now we want them to pay back”, Butler added.
“They’re going to pay back.”

USMX filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union with the
National Labor Relations Board last Wednesday, alleging the union was
refusing to negotiate. Ahead of the strike on Monday, USMX said it and
the union had exchanged new offers on wages. The union countered by
claiming the charge was a “publicity stunt”.

Current wages under the contract
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that expired on Monday range from $20 an hour to the top wage of $39
an hour. The union is seeking
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raises of 77% over the six-year contract, to a top rate of $69 an hour
by 2030.

The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, the largest
federation of labor unions in the US, issued a statement ahead of the
strike in support of the union.

“Let us be clear: the employers, not the workers, have shirked their
responsibility and punted labor negotiations to the 11th hour, when
the damage to the public and the national supply chain would be most
detrimental,” said Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and
secretary-treasurer of TTD. “While USMX seeks to cast blame on the
frontline workers who move our supply chain, they are at fault.”

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* Strike by ILA Port Workers; US Supply Chain; Biden;
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