Longshore workers at 14 major ports on the east coast and south of the United States began walking out on Tuesday, at the call of their union, a first in nearly 50 years after the failure of a final attempt at a resolution.
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“We are ready to fight as long as necessary, to stay on strike as long as it takes, to obtain the salaries and protections that our members deserve,” warned the head of the ILA union, Harold Daggett, in a press release. the heads of some 85,000 American longshoremen.
Longshore workers began walkouts early Tuesday after last-minute negotiations between their union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents employers at 36 ports scattered between Maine and Texas on the Gulf of Mexico and Florida (southeast).
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The discussions, which began in May, “are at an impasse,” according to the ILA.
After the start of the movement, President Joe Biden called on both parties to conduct “rapid and fair” negotiations, according to the White House, to resolve a strike with potentially very significant economic consequences, five weeks before the American elections.
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The ILA union planned to strike as soon as the six-year labor agreement expired at 11:59 p.m. Monday (0359 GMT Tuesday) at ports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
The expired social contract concerns 25,000 members, working in the terminals of fourteen major ports (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Savannah, Miami, Tampa and even Houston).
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The union had warned on Sunday that all its members would hold picket lines from 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, “joined in solidarity by longshoremen and maritime workers around the world.”
He specified that “all ports between Maine (northeast) and Texas (south) were at a standstill”, the first major strike on the American coast since 1977.
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The transport of hydrocarbons and agricultural products, or even cruises, should nevertheless be affected only very slightly, if at all.
A “small part”
“We worked during COVID-19, we never stopped. We allowed the world to continue to function,” recalled Jonita Carter, a longshoreman for 23 years.
She was one of around 200 demonstrators gathered in front of the Maher Terminals site, one of the largest in Port Elizabeth, the major port of New York-New Jersey.
A little further on, there were about twice as many gathered in front of the facilities of APM Terminals, another operator of the place.
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“We are not asking for much, the small part to which we are entitled,” said Jonita Carter. “With automation, we will lose our jobs.”
The ILA is calling for a significant increase in salaries and a freezing of all port automation.
The Alliance criticized the union for refusing any discussion for weeks, thereby preventing an agreement on the new six-year agreement.
Importers and exporters had taken the lead by shipping their products in advance. Others have opted for unloading on the West Coast, which is more costly and time consuming from Europe.
But west coast ports, covered by a separate social agreement reached in 2023 that prohibits them from striking, could disrupt activities in solidarity and they have little spare capacity.
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Furthermore, Canadian ports could not absorb an overflow from the United States, especially since they are also experiencing social movements, such as Vancouver last week and Montreal blocked since Monday.
Oxford Economics estimates that each week of strike action would reduce US GDP by $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion.
According to the Anderson Economic Group (AEG), the first week of the walkout is expected to cost $2.1 billion, including $1.5 billion in lost goods (such as perishable goods).
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“We do not anticipate any shortage of essential products in the immediate future,” Kathy Hochul, governor of New York State, said at a press conference on Monday.
Automakers are expected to take a hit from the walkout, with the ports of Baltimore and Georgia serving as an entry point for parts and an exit point for vehicles.
Ford is monitoring the situation “closely”. The German BMW group, which manufactures several SUV models exclusively in South Carolina, does not anticipate any problems this week.
Logistics group DHL, which has noted “strong demand” for its air freight services, has activated “several contingency plans” for its own shipments, including the use of alternative ports and means of transport.
