Fears of port strike resurface as negotiations falter

November 14, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

NATIONWIDE – CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS HAVE ONCE again broken down between the International Longshoreman’s Association and port owners along the East Coast, including in Red Hook and New Jersey, reports CNBC, raising fears that another strike crippling the nation’s supply chain could come to pass in January. A previous strike by the ILA that saw 45,000 port workers stop work for several days was suspended in early October after the two sides agreed to a temporary deal. Now, however, the port operators say that while deals over pay increases have been struck, they have been “unable to make significant progress” in negotiations over port automation. The union has set a hard line on any new automation technology, such as semi-automated cranes, being added to the ports, citing concerns over job losses.

“The ILA negotiated restrictions on automation and semi-automation in the last contract. The ILA just wants to tighten the language that no automation means no automation,” ILA President Harold Daggett stated, adding in another comment, “We want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA.”

✰✰✰