Longshoremen could have a bargaining advantage in the US port strike

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 45,000 longshoremen who left on strike On Tuesday, for the first time in decades, 36 US ports from Maine to Texas could gain the upper hand in the standoff with port operators Wages and the use of automation.

Organized labor enjoys growing public support and has won a number of recent victories in other industries, in addition to support from President Joe Biden's pro-union administration. The port workers' bargaining position is likely to be further strengthened as the country's supply chain comes under pressure as a result Hurricane Helenewhich coincided with the peak shipping season for Christmas items.

The union also points to shipping companies' record profits, partly due to shortages caused by the pandemic, as well as a more generous contract that West Coast longshoremen secured last year. Dockworkers' workloads have also increased and the impact of inflation has reduced their salaries in recent years.

Additionally, trade to and from the United States increased, which benefited the union. The still-tight labor market is adding leverage as workers in some industries demand, and in some cases receive, a larger share of companies' outsized profits.

“I think this task force has a lot of bargaining power,” said Harry Katz, a professor of collective bargaining at Cornell University. “They are essential workers who cannot be replaced, and the ports are doing well too.”

The dock workers' strike, their first since 1977, could lead to this confusing supply chains and lead to shortages and higher prices if it drags on for more than a few weeks. Starting at midnight on Tuesday, workers walked along picket lines carrying signs calling for the move more money and a ban on automation This could cost employees their jobs.

Experts say consumers probably won't notice the shortages for several weeks if the strike lasts that long. However, some perishable items like bananas may disappear from grocery stores. In anticipation of a strike, most major retailers stocked up on inventory and sent out Christmas gifts.

The strike comes weeks before one close presidential electioncould also become a factor in the race if shortages begin to affect many voters. Pressure could eventually mount on the Biden administration to intervene and force a temporary suspension of the strike.

Little progress was reported in the talks until a few hours before the strike began at 12:01 a.m. The US Maritime Alliance, the group negotiating for the ports, said both sides had backed away from their original positions. Allianz offered a salary increase of 50% over the six-year contract period. Comments from union leadership had briefly suggested an increase to 61.5%, but the union has since signaled it is sticking to its original demand for a 77% wage increase over six years.

“We have demonstrated our determination to do our part to end the entirely avoidable ILA strike,” the alliance said on Tuesday. The ports' wage offer is higher than any other current union agreement, the group said.

“We look forward to hearing from the Union about how we can return to the negotiating table and actually negotiate, because that is the only way we can reach a solution,” the statement said.

During the first picket line, workers walked in circles outside the Port of Philadelphia, chanting, “No work without a fair contract.” The union put signs on the side of a truck that read, “Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands for Job Protection.”

Boise Butler, president of the local union, claimed that workers want a contract that does not allow automation of their jobs. Shipping companies, he argued, had made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices.

“Now,” Butler said, “we want them to pay it back. They will pay it back.”

And in New Orleans, Henry Glover Jr., a fourth-generation longshoreman and local union president, said he could remember the days when longshoremen unloaded 150-pound bags of sugar by hand. He acknowledges that machines have made the job easier, but worries that ports will need fewer people to handle the equipment.

“Automation might be good, but they’re using it to eliminate jobs,” Glover said. “We don’t want them to implement anything that would destroy our jobs.”

William Brucher, assistant professor of labor studies and industrial relations at Rutgers University, noted that “this is a very opportune time” for striking workers.

The contract agreement reached last year with Longshoremen on the West Coastrepresented by another union, shows that “higher wages are certainly possible” for longshoremen and has strengthened their bargaining power, Brucher said.

Under the Taft-Hartley Act, Biden could seek a court order for an 80-day cooling-off period that would at least temporarily end the strike, but he has told reporters he would not take that step. The administration could risk losing union support if it exercises that power, which experts say could be particularly damaging for Democrats ahead of next month's election.

On Tuesday, the White House continued to call on the alliance to negotiate a fair contract that reflects dockworkers' contributions to the economy.

“As our nation recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Biden said in a statement, “longshore workers will play an essential role in providing communities with the resources they need.” Now is not the time for shipping companies to settle refusing to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while reaping record profits.”

Ben Nolan, transportation analyst at Stifel, said the government likely won't intervene until consumers see empty shelves or can no longer find essential goods like medicine.

“Medicines and other things come in in containers,” Nolan said. “I think if the administration wanted a reason to get involved, this is it.”

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Krisher reported from Detroit, Grantham-Philips from New York. Associated Press writers Ben Finley in Norfolk, Va., Jack Brook in New Orleans, Anne D'Innocenzio and Mae Anderson in New York, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Josh Boak in Washington and Annie Mulligan in Houston contributed to this report.