The International Longshore Association (ILA) received an early Christmas present from President-elect Trump. After a meeting with Harold and Dennis Daggett of the ILA, Mr Trump posted the following statement on social media, ” There has been a lot of discussion having to do with ‘automation’ on United States docks. I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt. They’ve got record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women on our docks, than machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced. In the end, there’s no gain for them, and I hope that they will understand how important an issue this is for me. For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries. It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”
That statement is quite the endorsement of the ILA’s position on automation.
On the other side of the coin, there is John Stossel’s report on why automation is needed for the continued strength and growth of our ports and longshore workforce. You can watch it HERE.
The two sides are expected to return to the negotiating table tomorrow, January 7th. The contract is set to expire next week on January 15th. The two sides have not been at the table since November 13th when the ILA walked out after the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) proposed maintaining the current contract language regarding automation.
It is going to be tense negotiations, and the ILA is prepared to go on strike again.
We will keep you posted.