By: Atharava Pandey

National/World News Editor

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, dockworkers and longshoremen on the East Coast officially went on strike against the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). This marked their first strike in nearly 50 years. Thousands of workers at 14 major ports left their jobs on Tuesday morning. They demanded substantial compensation increases and protections from automation. Due to ocean carriers’ record profits since the pandemic, workers want a fairer share of the money. They also called for contractual protection from robotic welders, painters, and other machines. The offer of ILA member Jack Pennington asked to “increase wages by nearly 50 percent, triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, strengthen our health care options, and retain the current language around automation and semi-automation.” The strike could cost as much as five billion dollars a day since nearly two out of three containers that leave the US come through these Eastern ports. The port strike could result in large ramifications on the US economy if prolonged. 

Biden is one of the few presidents who embraces unions and organized labor. According to The Hill, Biden believes, “Collective bargaining is the best way for workers to get the pay and benefits they deserve.” Biden emphasized both the large profits made by the shipping firms and the sacrifices made by port workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He urged the USMX to make a fair offer to ILA. The port workers hoped that their strike would garner as much success as some of the other strikes in the last few years, like the 2023 strike of the UAW and the 2023 strike of the screenwriters.

Automation, the use of technology to carry out tasks with less human involvement, took center stage in the port negotiations. At a port, automation would mean swapping out manually operated cranes with electrically powered cranes. ILA President Harold Daggett is “steadfastly against any form of automation—full or semi—that replaces jobs or historical work functions.” However, some port stakeholders believe that automation improves worker safety, resolves chain issues, and increases efficiency. 

On  Oct. 3, the striking members of the ILA settled and announced they would be returning to work on Oct. 4. Their agreement includes a four-dollar-per-hour raise for each year of the six-year contract. The union also agreed to extend its contract with the USMX. President  Biden stated, “Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical progress towards a strong contract.” 

The ILA successfully negotiated a historic 61.5 percent wage increase spread out over six years. This quick resolution also stopped the possibility of a disastrous holiday season for retailers. The strike temporarily succeeded in fighting automation and may lead to a better working environment for port workers. 

(Sources: ABC, CNN, The Hill)