Unions representing 45,000 East Coast and Gulf Coast longshoremen and groups representing employers held new contract negotiations this week, but both sides said no significant progress had been made on the key issue of automation. announced on Wednesday.
Averting a second port strike to disrupt the flow of goods across the country comes as importers and exporters brace for potential disruption from President-elect Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on a wide range of products from China, Mexico and Mexico. must close this gap by January 15th. other countries.
Union leaders of the International Longshoremen's Association automationsays it will kill jobs.
Employers support automation and semi-automation, saying it is critical to the competitiveness of U.S. ports and can increase cargo volumes that support jobs. Meanwhile, President Biden's administration is concerned about the possibility of new business closures next year, a senior official said.
The union declined a request for comment, but did mention the situation in a Facebook post that was later deleted before being shared within the shipping industry.
“ILA's determination not to abandon any ILA jobs remains strong,” the union said in a post, adding that negotiations were terminated after the employer group continued to push automation and semi-automation language in the draft master contract. added.
The ILA announced three days on Oct. 3 after securing an agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance employer group for 62% wage increases over six years, following significant involvement from the White House and other Biden administration officials. agreed to end the strike.
The work stoppage was the first large-scale strike in about 50 years at ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, and about half of the country's international shipping operations were temporarily halted.
USMX and the union met for two days this week to finalize a new six-year contract ahead of a January 15 deadline.
“While there was positive progress on many issues, we were unable to achieve significant progress in discussions focused on various technical issues,” USMX said.
“We are not seeking technology that eliminates jobs,” the employer group said.
The union is advocating for an agreement that would set back our industry by restricting the future use of technology that has existed in some ports for nearly 20 years, and to meet the nation's future supply chain demands. “This will make the evolution of the world impossible.”
One scenario in question is the use of unmanned cranes to lift containers from stacks on docks and move them to waiting trucks. Union members in remote locations are lowering containers onto chassis to ensure they are safely placed, a person familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
This kind of semi-automation helps increase the number of containers the terminal can handle, which supports the work, the official said.
A tentative agreement announced last month would increase average union wages from $39 an hour to about $63 an hour over the life of the contract. It depends on whether the remaining issues are resolved.
