The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced earlier this week the suspension of talks with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2024. This decision arises amidst ongoing negotiations of local agreements under the coast-wide Master Contract, set to expire on September 30, 2024.
The ILA canceled Master Contract talks with USMX after discovering that APM Terminals and Maersk Line are utilizing an Auto Gate system, which autonomously processes trucks without ILA labor. This system, initially identified at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, is reportedly being used in other ports as well.
“There’s no point trying to negotiate a new agreement with USMX when one of its major companies continues to violate our current agreement with the sole aim of eliminating ILA jobs through automation,” said International President Harold J. Daggett, who serves as chief negotiator for the union.
A spokesperson for the ILA stated, “Here we go again! This is another example of USMX members unilaterally circumventing our coast-wide Master Contract. This is a clear violation of our agreement with USMX, and we will not tolerate it any longer.”
ILA President Daggett made it clear that the union will take a firm stance against any technology that threatens ILA jobs. He spoke extensively at the union’s quadrennial convention last summer, about Maersk Line’s history of pushing automation down the throats of workers around the world.
The ILA will not meet with USMX until the Auto Gate issue is resolved. Additionally, the union is still waiting on results from an audit for the jobs created out of new technology, a report they have been anticipating for almost two contract periods.“We are not taking this lightly,” the ILA cautioned.
The ILA is monitoring and keenly aware of APM Terminals and Maersk Line’s repeated attempts to circumvent the ILA-USMX Master Contract and cut ILA jobs through the introduction of automation and semi-automation equipment.
The ILA has long expressed deep concern over the impact of automation on jobs, highlighting APM Terminals and Maersk Line’s abuse of the ILA Master Contract, which have led to job losses in various ports.
ILA President Daggett made it clear that the union will take a firm stance against any technology that threatens ILA jobs. He spoke extensively at the union’s quadrennial convention last summer, about Maersk Line’s history of pushing automation down the throats of workers around the world.
Source: American Journal of Transportation (AJOT) Maritime
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