Danger of strikes for ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts grows

July 16, 2024

The chairman of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) warned that a strike in all ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is becoming increasingly likely as time runs out to negotiate a new collective agreement.

With the current contract set to expire in 80 days on September 30, 2024, ILA President and Chief Negotiator Harold J. Daggett has expressed concern about the slow progress in negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). He stressed that time is running out for employers represented by USMX to reach a new framework agreement, potentially laying the groundwork for a coast-wide strike beginning October 1, 2024.

The USMX-ILA framework agreement, last ratified in September 2018, covers approximately 14,500 longshoremen on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States and expires at the end of September.

USMX, which has successfully negotiated 10 new contracts without a coast-wide work stoppage since 1977, now faces significant challenges. The ILA recently canceled planned negotiations with USMX in early June after discovering that APM Terminals and Maersk Line were using an auto-gate system that handles trucks autonomously, bypassing ILA labor. The ILA said this system, first discovered at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, is reportedly in use at other ports as well.

The ILA stated on June 10, 2024, that it would not meet with USMX until the auto-gate issue was resolved. The union is also awaiting the results of an audit of jobs created by new technologies, a report it has been awaiting for nearly two contract periods. Concerns have been raised about the increasing number of IT staff at marine terminals, with the ILA accusing APM and Maersk’s IT departments in Charlotte, North Carolina, of encroaching on its jurisdiction.

Daggett stressed that rank-and-file ILA members fully support the union and are prepared to strike if their contract demands are not met by October 1, 2024. He also made it clear that the union would not consider extending the current contract, nor would it accept outside interference from agencies such as the Biden administration or the Department of Labor.

The ILA expects shipping companies to recognize the significant contribution of ILA dockworkers during the pandemic in future negotiations.