As union dockworkers prepare to strike when the current master contract expires, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) again emphasized its members will walk off the job if a new contract is not in place by October 1. Disputes over wages and automation have brought bargaining to a standstill.
A Biden administration official stated that President Joe Biden won’t intervene to prevent a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports by union longshore workers. The federal Taft-Hartley Act grants presidents powers to intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period, and forcing employees back to work while negotiations continue.
“We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now, we encourage all parties to remain at the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith,” a Biden administration official told Reuters.
A coalition of shippers on Tuesday called on Biden to help restart contract negotiations between employers and union dockworkers, and said he should be ready to “step in” to prevent a strike at U.S. ports. The first ILA work stoppage in nearly 50 years would halt ocean container traffic and other cargo as shippers bring in import merchandise for the critical holiday retail season. Employers are expressing increasing concerns.
Employers represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) called upon the administration to “immediately work with both parties to resume contract negotiations and ensure there is no disruption to port operations. We have tremendous respect for the ILA and its members, but it is disappointing that we have reached this point where the ILA is unwilling to reopen dialogue unless all of its demands are met,” USMX said in a statement.
John S. Connor will continue to monitor the seriousness of this industry issue and report as progress becomes available.
Source: FreightWaves and Reuters News Agency
