Port worker strike begins on East and Gulf coasts

October 1, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NATIONWIDE — 45,000 MEMBERS OF the International Longshoremen’s Association began a strike at ports from Maine to Texas at midnight on Monday following a breakdown in negotiations with the U.S. Maritime Alliance shipping industry group over demands for 77% pay increases and a halt to automation upgrades, reports the Associated Press.

Hundreds of New York harbor workers joined picket lines overnight in support of the strike, including in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, where 35 cargo ships are expected to arrive shortly.

“In preparation for this moment, New York has been working around the clock to ensure that our grocery stores and medical facilities have the essential products they need,” said Gov. Hochul on Tuesday in a statement. “We will continue our efforts to minimize disruption.”

The state Department of Health mandates that hospitals and nursing homes maintain 60-day supplies of critical goods, while the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services announced that it has made its own resource stockpiles ready.

A short-term strike is unlikely to have major impacts, as shipping lines rerouted much traffic to the West Coast and retailers stocked up on goods in anticipation of the strike, but a longer work stoppage could cause economic losses of up to $5 billion a day, as 35% of the nation’s imports come through the affected ports. President Biden has the authority to force critical infrastructure workers back on the job during contract disputes but has so far declined to do so, instead urging the union and shipping industry to negotiate.

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