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Remember the short dock workers' strike that paralyzed East Coast and Gulf ports in October?
The strike lasted only three days, but cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost revenue. The work stoppage was temporarily resolved when the International Longshore Association (ILA) agreed to a 61.5% wage increase over the next six years. The ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance have raised other issues, the most important of which is port automation.
The negotiated contract extension expires on January 15, 2025, five days before President-elect Trump takes office for his second term.
DOCKERS UNION WITHDRAWS NEGOTIATIONS WITH EAST COAST AND GULF EMPLOYERS
However, there is one major problem, which has been underestimated by the mainstream media: both sides stopped all negotiations in mid-November, and the ILA withdrew from the negotiating table, stating: “The USMX introduced language into its semi-representational proposal. – the use of automated equipment in ILA ports, which this union categorically rejected. The ILA recognized that this was another attempt by the USMX to eliminate ILA jobs through automation and broke off negotiations.
ILA President Harold J. Daggett insists no automation enters U.S. ports under his control. Mr. Daggett is against almost all use of technology. He is even against the use of EZ Passes on the nation's toll highways, lamenting the loss of union jobs for tollbooth workers because EZ Passes allow “motorists to drive through as if nothing happened and then being billed through the mail…all those union jobs are gone.” he said in a message posted on the ILA YouTube channel in September.
Perhaps Mr. Daggett should do some reading. According to a recent survey by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, U.S. ports are among the least efficient in the world, with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ranked among the two least efficient ports in the world, losing to ports such as Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo.
Yes, US ports are less efficient than ports in third world countries. No U.S. port ranks among the top 10 most efficient ports in the world. The culprit – lack of automation. It takes between one and three days to unload a container ship in the United States. For comparison, Japanese ports take 0.36 days to unload a ship of similar size.
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Mr. Daggett focuses on the wrong fight. Instead of fighting automation, it should embrace it. Instead of walking away from the bargaining table to protect outdated union jobs, he should push the USMX to automate faster, while still protecting jobs.
A simple position of embracing automation but ensuring that any union member who loses their job due to automation will be hired by USMX with the same pay and benefits, would avoid a strike and help the states -United to make their ports world ports. -class, taking us out of the 19th century and into the 21st century.
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New Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will face this challenge from day one of the Trump administration. Secretary Duffy must show that he will abandon DOT's focus on equity in roads and bridges and embrace efficiency, returning the United States to its rightful position as the world's largest nation. most advanced in the world.
The answers are not difficult, you just need to implement them with courage.