by WorldTribune Staff, October 2, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
The White House insists that it will not intervene in the port workers strike even as the flow of trade is halted and the lead union boss threatens to “cripple” the economy.
Most major ports on America’s East Coast shut down on Tuesday as the labor union representing the workers, International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), said dock employers failed to give in to their demands of a more than 70% pay increase over six years and assurances that increased automation will not result in massive job losses.
Port workers are demanding a significant pay increase and assurances their jobs won’t be lost to automation. / Video ImageAccording to one estimate from JP Morgan, every day the strike continues costs the U.S. economy between $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion, “with some of that recovered over time after normal operations continue.” The strike comes at a particularly difficult time when many Americans in eastern states are trying to resupply and rebuild after the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.
Republicans and industry associations have called on the Biden-Harris administration to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act, the 1947 law which gives the White House the authority to intervene in strikes if they threaten to cause a national emergency. The act was last used in 2002 by President George W. Bush to reopen ports on the West Coast after employers prevented longshoreman from entering their facilities.
Asked by a reporter “will you intervene in the dockworkers strike if they go on strike on Tuesday?” Biden said “No.”
The reporter asked “Why not?”
Biden said: “Because there’s collective bargaining, and I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley.”
Writing for The Hill on Wednesday, Liz Peek noted: “Joe Biden has just made the worst mistake of his presidency, and that’s saying something.
“By not intervening to prevent the walkout by 47,000 East Coast dock workers, the president has singlehandedly increased the odds of an economic downturn, raised the possibility of another round of inflation, soured Kamala Harris’s political prospects and — perhaps most damaging of all to his legacy — probably squashed what had been increasing public enthusiasm for organized labor.”
ILA union boss Harold Daggett bluntly told the public that his workers are in it for the long hall, threatening to “cripple” the United States economy if the longshoreman are not given higher wages and protected from future automation at American ports.
In an interview several weeks ago as negotiations between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) were stalled, Daggett warned about the dire consequences of a strike. “In today’s world, I’ll cripple you,” Daggett said in a video post. “I will cripple you.”
In a Sept. 20, press release, Daggett maintained that his longshore workers “never took a day off” during the pandemic. He blames foreign-owned companies for “disrespecting” his workforce and “increasing surcharges while using external crises as an excuse.” Daggett cited a shipper “who normally pays $8,000 to ship a container from Asia to New Jersey” just paid $30,000 to do the same route. Daggett also railed against governments that do not “stand up for American workers” but instead support “foreign-owned corporations.”
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The union and the USMX remain far apart in negotiations despite a last minute concession by the port operators association to increase wages by 50%—still well short of the over 70% increase requested by the union over six years.
Daggett vowed that if the USMX does not agree to stronger protections, he won’t resume negotiations: “It’s not fair. And if we don’t put our foot down now, they would like to run over us, and we’re not going to allow that.”
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Port strike: Team Biden won’t get involved as union boss threatens to ‘cripple’ economy added by Editor Two on October 2, 2024
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