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A sea of contention
Thousands of dockworkers across the East Coast and Gulf Coast officially went on strike Tuesday morning, after negotiations between their union and an alliance of employers failed.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) represents more than 85,000 workers and has been negotiating since last May with companies, terminal operators, and port associations represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). Without a contract between the groups, as many as 45,000 members walked off the job at more than a dozen major ports.
Longshoremen — people who load and unload cargo at ports — are in it for the long haul. “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” ILA President Harold Daggett said.
What’s all at stake? We’ve navigated through the choppy waters below.
By the digits
14: Major East Coast ports affected by the strike
45,000: Members of the ILA that walked off their jobs at 12:01 ET on Tuesday
$3 trillion: International trade handled by the affected ports
$5 billion: Projected daily cost to the U.S. economy attributed to the strike
75%: Share of bananas that enter the U.S. through the affected ports
572: Full-time equivalent jobs eliminated by robots at the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles in California in 2020 and 2021
Explain it to me like I’m five!
What is the fight about?
The ILA says workers are demanding higher wages that would compensate them for their contributions to “enriching their employers and the industry” and a salary that addresses the rising inflation that “eats away” at their current salary levels.
Workers are also pushing for protection against automation and new technology devices in terminals. According to a statement from the USMX, negotiations with the ILA began in the last week of May.
But those talks haven’t led to much progress.
The strike is likely to have major consequences for the broader U.S. economy. Just about every industry relies on major ports across the East Coast and Gulf Coast to deliver shipments of equipment, food, and supplies each day. Ports and facilities handling approximately 51% of the nation’s overall port capacity are affected by the walkouts, according to the Mitre Corporation.
Mapped
Quotable
“I will cripple you and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does.” — Harold Daggett, the president and chief negotiator for the ILA, speaking about what the strike would do to the U.S. economy in a video released by the union in September
Brief history
1500s: The term “longshoremen” is coined when ships arrive to colonial America with the cry: “Men ‘long shore!”
1864: The first Longshoremen’s union is formed in the port of New York.
1977: Work stoppages go into effect at East and Gulf Coast ports, the last time dockworkers went on strike at this magnitude before the ongoing action.
2002: President George W. Bush enacts the Taft-Hartley Act to open 29 ports along the West Coast after an 11-day stoppage from the longshoremen.
2024: The ILA initiates a strike along the East and Gulf Coasts, with as many as 45,000 workers walking off the job.
Pop quiz
Which port in the U.S. is the busiest?
A. Port of Los Angeles
B. Port of Savannah
C. Port of New York & New Jersey
D. Port Houston
We shipped the answer straight to the bottom of this email.
Soapbox
What leaders are saying about the strike
Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday expressed her support for the tens of thousands of dockworkers on strike for better wages and job security.
“This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
Although he stopped short of endorsing the ILA, former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump claimed the strikes were “only happening” because of inflation.
In addition to Harris, the longshoremen have been backed by President Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Julie Su, who called for the parties to get back to the negotiating table and give workers the “benefits they deserve.” Several labor unions — from the Teamsters to the United Auto Workers to the Association of Flight Attendants — have also endorsed the ILA’s strike.
Fun fact
At the three top ports in the U.S., 75% of shipping containers return to their home countries completely empty.
Poll
If I could stop the global economy with one action, it’d be by…
- Streaming so much Great British Bake Off that it shutters the entire worldwide web
- Generating so many AI images of my pet with DALL-E that it consumes the planet’s energy
- Mastering my green thumb so much that my plants begin blocking trade routes
Look, they’re all absurd — but dream with us!
💬 Let’s talk
In last week’s poll on spooky music, 56% of you said you enjoy “Danse Macabre,” while 37% of you are “Maria” people, and 7% of you dance it out to G. Love’s “Cold Beverage.”
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Today’s email was put together with reporting from Will Gavin, Bruce Gil, Deena Zaidi, Rachel Dalloo, and edited and published by Morgan Haefner (who is signing off on her last Obsession!)
The answer to the pop quiz is A., Port of Los Angeles.
