October 2, 2024 | taken from the site alencontre.org
https://alencontre.org/ameriques/americnord/usa/etats-unis-la-greve-de-45-000-dockers-cinq-semaines-avant-les-elections-presidentielles.html
Around 45,000 workers walked out at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, making it the largest strike the union has seen since 1977. On Tuesday, workers at 36 different ports stopped work after their six-year contract expired. years with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) – and depending on the duration of the strike – this could have a considerable impact on the United States economy.
The strike is affecting some of the nation’s largest ports, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Overall, the affected ports handle approximately 50% of imports and exports to and from the United States. Although some cargo was diverted preemptively to the West Coast, this solution is not without complications.
In recent days, it seemed that negotiations between the USMX and the ILA were well underway. The USMX was requesting an extension of the current contract to allow more time to negotiate. The ILA, however, refused the new proposal.
ILA President Harold J. Daggett [élu en 2011, réélu en 2023 pour la quatrième fois]warned Tuesday that the union was “prepared to fight as long as it takes, to stay on strike as long as it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation that ILA members deserve.” .
What is the International Longshoremen’s Association? Why are its members striking?
The ILA represents around 45,000 workers who unload huge containers from large container ships. Ultimately, goods transported by ships are transported to warehouses, store shelves and factories.
Members work in ports up and down the East Coast as far as Maine, as well as ports on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas.
“The strike focuses on two main issues,” says Art Wheaton. He directs studies on working conditions and “industrial relations” at Cornell University (in New York State). “The first concerns salaries. The second concerns technology. »
The union demanded a significant pay increase for dockworkers over the six-year term of the collective contract, as well as an increase in contributions to their pension plan and a say in the role of automation in their work. sector. Some reports indicate that the union has requested up to a 77 percent wage increase (AP, September 18); USMX’s most recent proposal offered a 50% increase, over the life of the contract.
According to Art Wheaton: “The main concern of dockworkers is that they do not want automated machines to be responsible for picking up, dropping off and unloading cargo automatically. They want an operator to be present to guarantee the quality and safety of their operations, as well as job security. »
Negotiations between the USMX and ILA for a new contract were halted in June, apparently due to the use of automation at Port of Mobile in Alabama. [un port en eau profonde et bien connecté au réseau ferroviaire de CN]. Last week (late September), the USMX filed a complaint with the National Labor Review Board [agence fédérale chargée contrôlant les élections syndicales et les infractions aux règles commises par les syndicats ou les employeurs]claiming that the ILA refused to continue contract negotiations. The USMX did not respond to our request for comment.
The shipping companies that make up the USMX – all based outside the United States – have made billions from booming global trade and shipping, the union says, while wages have stagnated in the face of inflation .
Dockworkers on the West Coast earn about $55 an hour, (New York Times September 24, 2024) compared to $39 an hour on average for skilled workers on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico (CNN October 1 2024). West Coast dockers got impressive pay rise in latest contract [pour six ans]. The latter belong to another union, the ILWU (International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union). It has long been much more radical than the ILA in terms of orientation, demands and tactics, according to Gabe Winant, a labor historian at the University of Chicago. The great wage successes of workers organized in the ILWU proved that it was possible to demand more – and above all, to get it. Today, the ILA hopes to achieve a similar victory.
What goods will be affected?
More than 50% of goods imported into the United States by container ships enter through ports on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly 70% of container exports exit through these ports. In the immediate future, there should be few shortages or price increases on most consumer goods. Many firms have prepared for the strike. However, depending on the length of the strike, some perishable products may be more expensive or harder to find.
“We have all these imported perishables [sur] the East Coast,” such as blueberries, bananas and fish from South America, says Chris Tang, professor of supply chain management at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). “We also import clothing, toys and electronics via the East Coast. »
The automobile industry is also likely to be affected, as many cars and parts are imported from Europe. Chris Tang emphasizes: “There are still stocks available in automobile factories and at dealerships, so in the short term, the strike does not have a major impact.” But if the strike continues for weeks, those stocks will run out and auto repair problems could worsen due to delays in the delivery of parts.
Besides the strike, other factors currently affecting global shipping include Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, which have disrupted shipping since last November, as well as extreme weather conditions. The Panama Canal was also affected regardless of the strikes; the waterway suffers from a lack of water, which has created a delay in maritime transport.
Art Wheaton adds: “Anyone who has tried to buy toilet paper during the Covid pandemic can tell you: our supply chain is fragile, and when you start tackling freighters, rail and tractor-trailers, you’re done for. It is impossible to transport anything. Add to this that a large part of the East coast has just been submerged by water following the hurricane (Hélène) which has just passed. »
Overall, consumers shouldn’t worry too much about the shortage of goods. For now, Chris Tang advises against hoarding products for fear that they will disappear from the shelves, which would create shortages and drive up prices, regardless of the strike.
A strike on the eve of the November 5 elections. A “complication” for Biden and Kamala Harris?
The outcome of the strike largely depends on how quickly the ILA and USMX reach an agreement.
Federal law gives Congress and the president the authority to break up a strike in certain circumstances. In this case, President Joe Biden could order the return of dockworkers to the ports for a period of 80 days, while the USMX and the ILA continue contract negotiations, under the powers conferred by the Taft-Hartley Act , but he doesn’t want to do it [1].
Chris Tang warns that could change as the strike continues, given that it could continue until the presidential election.
The Biden administration will face “pressure from consumers, retailers, manufacturers and shipping companies” to take action and reopen ports, Tang said. Some business groups are already calling on Mr. Biden to send ILA members back to work. But Biden has also largely supported union action, with the exception of the 2022 railroad strike[blocage par le Congrès, sur demande de Biden, en 2022, d’accorder un congé maladie payés de 7 jours pour les travailleurs du rail] and a number of unions are contributing to Vice President Harris’ campaign.
“I think right now, President Biden is under a lot of pressure,” Chris Tang said. Ideally, the administration will not have to act, with the ILA and USMX reaching an agreement either on their own or with the help of NLR officials during negotiations [2].
“The official government policy for over 100 years has been that the best solution is a negotiated solution,” explains Art Wheaton. The government’s approach is as follows: “The union will not get everything it wants, the USMX management will not get everything it wants, but we have to come together for negotiations to see what that both parties can accept. » (Article published on the Vox website dated October 2, 2024; editorial translation A l’Encontre)
Ellen Ioane’s worked, before writing for Vox, for Business Insider
Notes
[1] According to Politico of October 1, 2024 “The White House reaffirmed Tuesday that it would not force striking dockworkers to return to work. She insisted the impact on America’s vital goods would be minimal for now.
The key phrase is “for now” […] So far, the Biden administration is sticking to its script: trying to bring the union and the shipping industry to the table, monitoring the situation and hoping the conflict doesn’t drag on. This means that President Joe Biden does not intend to use the powers granted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 to end the strike [selon la loi Raft-Hartley, le gouvernement fédéral dispose du droit d’interdire ou d’arrêter une grève qui met en danger la sécurité nationale]. Business groups like the US Chamber of Commerce are already asking Biden to use this law, but this is exasperating union members a few weeks before the elections. » (Ed.)
[2] On the ILA website, dated September 25, it is proclaimed – this verb is not an exaggeration: “The ILA, the “I love America” union, will maintain its long-standing commitment to ensuring freight military during the strike. Cruise ships will also not be affected by the October 1 strike at Atlantic and Gulf ports. » Enough to reassure the administration. (Ed.)
