President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for those on both sides a port worker strike to return to the bargaining table as U.S. ports brace for what could be the most disruptive labor stoppage in decades.
Some 50,000 International Longshoremen’s Association members went on strike Tuesday against the East and Gulf Coast ports, hobbling the flow of goods.
The International Longshoremen’s Association is at odds with the United States Maritime Alliance over pay and automation.
The union wants more money and doesn’t want to lose jobs to automation.
Biden said collective bargaining was the best way forward.
“I have urged USMX, which represents a group of foreign-owned carriers, to come to the table and present a fair offer to the workers of the International Longshoremen’s Association that ensures they are paid appropriately in line with their invaluable contributions,” the president said in a statement. “Ocean carriers have made record profits since the pandemic and in some cases profits grew in excess of 800% compared to their profits prior to the pandemic.”
Biden has said he won’t use powers under the Taft-Hartley Act to intervene in the labor dispute.
“As our nation climbs out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, dockworkers will play an essential role in getting communities the resources they need. Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record profits,” he said. “My Administration will be monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers, including those on the USMX board.”
Formally known as the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, the law empowers the president to intervene in labor disputes that could cause a national emergency.
International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold J. Daggett said members want bigger paychecks.
“We are now demanding $5 an hour increase in wages for each of the six years of a new ILA-USMX Master Contract,” Daggett said Tuesday. “Plus, 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.”
Business groups have warned the strike could pose economic risks for the nation with a strike at ports from Maine to Texas. They have also called for Biden to intervene.
