Lines of container ships continued to form outside major U.S. ports on Thursday as the first longshoremen's strike in nearly 50 years entered its third day.
The chokepoint threatens shortages of everything from bananas to car parts and is expected to widen in the coming days unless a solution is found.
Reuters report Negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and employers had not been scheduled, but port owners faced pressure from the White House to increase their offer to reach an agreement, prompting new negotiations. showed a willingness to respond.
About 45 container ships were anchored outside strike-hit East and Gulf Coast ports by Wednesday, unable to unload, according to Everstream Analytics. This is an increase from 3 ships.
A Kia vehicle at the Port of Seattle on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 in Seattle, Washington, United States. For the first time in nearly 50 years, longshoremen left every major port in the eastern United States and the Gulf Coast to strike. It could send ripples across the world's largest economy and cause political turmoil in the weeks before the presidential election. (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty)
“Rather than making a proactive decision to change direction, many people are choosing to do so, perhaps hoping for a quick resolution to the strike action,” Everstream's Jena Santoro said in a video presentation viewed by Reuters. It seems they have decided to wait.”
As reported by Breitbart News, the ILA announced on Tuesday that it would be able to extend longshore jobs from Maine to Texas after negotiations for a new six-year contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group collapsed. 45,000 people began a strike, marking the first major shutdown since 1977. under.
The ILA is calling for significant wage increases, along with a pledge to halt port automation projects over concerns that they will destroy jobs. USMX had proposed a 50% wage increase, but ILA argued it was insufficient to address concerns.
USMX said late Wednesday that “negotiations are necessary to reach an agreement.” “While we cannot agree on the preconditions for returning to negotiations, we will continue to engage in negotiations in good faith to meet the demands of the ILA and the concerns of the USMX.”
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The strike, ILA's first since 1977, halted container traffic at 14 of the nation's busiest ports, including New York, Georgia and Texas.
Experts estimate that these ports handle more than a third of U.S. imports and exports.
According to the union, the ILA is the “largest union of maritime workers in North America,” with approximately 85,000 coastal workers located in “the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Great Lakes, major rivers of the United States, Puerto Rico, and eastern Canada.” They say they represent the workers. Website.
The suspension could cost the U.S. economy $5 billion a day as the “deadlock” over stalled negotiations over wages and automation drags on.
