With 45,000 longshoremen at 36 U.S. ports from Maine to Texas on strike for the first time in decades, experts say the workers may wield the upper hand in their standoff with port operators over wages and the use of automation.
Dockworkers at 36 ports across the eastern U.S. are now on strike for the first time in decades. And the work stoppage could snarl supply chains — leading to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks. Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks.
In addition, commerce into and out of the United States has been growing, playing to the union’s advantage. Further enhancing its leverage is a still-tight job market, with workers in some industries demanding and in some cases receiving a larger share of companies’ outsize profits.
Boise Butler, president of the union local, asserted that the workers want a fair contract that doesn’t allow for the automation of their jobs. The shipping companies, he argued, made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices.He warned that the union plans to strike for as long as it needs to achieve a fair deal and has leverage over the ports because of their critical importance to the nation’s economy.
Under the Taft-Hartley Act, Biden could seek a court order for an 80-day cooling-off period that would end the strike at least temporarily, but he has told reporters that he wouldn’t take that step. The administration could risk losing union support if it exercised such power, which experts say could be particularly detrimental for Democrats ahead of next month’s election.
Striking Philadelphia longshoremen picket outside the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Port, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.
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