TYLER DURDEN
More than 45,000 International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) members from over three dozen facilities across 14 Gulf and East Coast ports went on strike early Tuesday, marking the largest labor action at US ports in nearly 50 years. The labor action, driven by disputes over automation and wages in a new multi-year labor contract, threatens to disrupt supply chains nationwide. If the strike persists for more than a week, retailers could face shortages of certain goods (read: here), potentially sparking another wave of inflation.
ILA's strike hit 36 ports across the Gulf and up and down the East Coast—this is the union's first labor action since 1977. Workers walked off the job at the Port of Philadelphia a few short minutes after midnight when ILA and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX)—a coalition of port operators and carriers—failed to agree on a new labor contract offer that would have boosted wages by 50% over six years and pledged to place limitations on port automation. The union has demanded a 77% pay bump.
On Tuesday, ILA said USMX's latest offer was rejected because it "fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation." Both sides have been locked in talks since June.
"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," union boss Harold Daggett said in a statement, quoted by AP News, adding, "They must now meet our demands for this strike to end."
Supply chain management company Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen noted on X that the Teamsters Union released a statement in solidarity with ILA, informing the Biden administration to "stay the f**k out of this fight"...
Ahead of the strike, a video posted on X, supposedly of ILA boss Daggett, warned: "I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does," referring to the power the union has over the US economy.
In a recent interview, Harold explains the impact of what will transpire when his workers go on strike at ports across the East and Gulf Coasts of the US.
"When my men hit the streets from Maine to Texas, every single port locked down.
You know what's going to happen?
I'll tell you.
First week, be all over the news every night, boom, boom, second week.
Guys who sell cars can't sell cars, because the cars ain't coming in off the ships.
They get laid off.
Third week, malls are closing down.
They can't get the goods from China.
They can't sell clothes.
They can't do this.
Everything in the United States comes on a ship.
They go out of business.
Construction workers get laid off because the materials aren't coming in.
The steel's not coming in.
The lumber's not coming in.
They lose their job.
Everybody's hating the longshoremen now because now they realize how important our jobs are."
In essence, Harold is demanding that his workers receive higher wages and assurances that their jobs will be safe from automation and AI.
President Biden has recently stated he does not intend to impose the Taft-Hartley Act, which would require longshoremen to go back to work for 90 days.
Harold Daggett earned $728,000 last year from the ILA, plus $173,000 as President of a local union branch.
He drives a Bentley and recently sold his 76-foot yacht, Obsession.
1 comment:
Don’t fear, that’s how they control us. Whenever there’s fear there’s an element of control. That control can come from within yourself or from the outside. This is obviously a spiritual battle for your mind and soul. Your mind is manipulated and used against you. It’s a narcissistic tactic to control you. Pay attention! It’s the best currency you can spend right now!
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