longshore strike

Debunking ILA dockworkers’ claims about carrier price gouging

The International Longshoremen’s Association is justifying the shutdown of freight ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts and trying to sway public opinion against government intervention by characterizing shipping lines as price-gouging foreign companies unwilling to boost workers’ wages despite raking in record profits to justify.

Ocean carriers have jacked up freight rates five-fold in recent weeks to $30,000 per container, contributing to inflation that is hurting American consumers,  the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/debunking-ila-dockworkers-claims-about-carrier-price-gouging

Longshoremen port strike unlikely to hinder holiday retail season, expert says

With dockworkers from Maine to Texas threatening to go on strike Tuesday, the impact of a work stoppage could be lessened because retailers have been accelerating imports for months, according to Ron Leibman, chair of Newark, New Jersey-headquartered law firm McCarter and English’s transportation, logistics and supply chain management practice.

“Retailers have been forward stocking, expecting this. Now, will that take care of the whole season? I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be the same as if they...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/longshoremen-port-strike-unlikely-to-hinder-holiday-retail-season-expert-says

Port of New York-New Jersey details strike operations plan

The second-busiest U.S. ocean container port urged shippers to wind down cargo business less than a week before a strike deadline set by union dockworkers.

Strike preparations are underway at the Port of New York-New Jersey, Port Director Bethann Rooney said in a letter to customers, offering details on operational plans during the stoppage.

The International Longshoremen’s Association says its 45,000 members will walk off the job when the current master contract with port employers represented...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-new-york-new-jersey-details-strike-operations-plan

Employers: Still time for East Coast port deal

Facing a dire countdown to the first dock strike in decades, employers at East and Gulf Coast ports say a new contract is still within reach, and publicly called for the International Longshoremen’s Association to return to contract talks.

“There has been no further progress on Master Contract negotiations – we remain committed to the bargaining process and need the ILA to return to the table,” the United States Maritime Exchange (USMX) said in a brief statement Friday.

The ILA, with the current...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/employers-still-time-for-east-coast-port-deal

Potential port strike a dilemma for Harris

WASHINGTON — A dockworker strike along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts could endanger Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, say retail and transportation leaders.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) affirmed last week that it plans to strike if its contract demands are not met, and the West Coast ports, represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, has pledged solidarity.

That’s why the Biden administration will likely be working behind the scenes – if it isn’t already –...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/potential-port-strike-a-dilemma-for-harris

5 port strikes that made history

As a possible strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association looms over U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports, here are five port strikes from around the globe that have made history.

1. West Coast Longshore Strike (1934)

The West Coast Longshore Strike (also known by several other names) began on May 9, 1934, and involved longshore workers on the U.S. West Coast.

One of the most significant labor actions in U.S. history, the 83-day strike initially saw over 12,000 longshoremen – joined by other...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/5-port-strikes-that-made-history

What to know about ILA demands in potential port strike

It was 1977 since the last strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents unionized workers at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing 40 ocean carriers and terminal operators, has successfully negotiated 10 straight master contracts without a work stoppage with the ILA.

The current six-year agreement covers approximately 45,000 port workers employed in container and roll-on/roll-off operations at ports from Maine...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ila-port-strike-what-you-need-to-know

Breaking news: Port of Montreal union will move critical goods

The union representing longshore workers at the Port of Montreal agreed on Thursday to move some containers holding goods needed in the fight against COVID-19.

“The Maritime Employers Association and the longshoremen’s union have agreed to move containers that contain controlled substances and COVID-19-related merchandise and to unload a ship containing sugar,” the MEA announced early Thursday afternoon.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 has been on strike since Aug. 10. It is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/breaking-news-port-of-montreal-union-will-move-critical-goods

Latest strike forces diversion of Montreal-bound vessels

Longshore worker strikes are cutting off the flow of cargo at the Port of Montreal.

Vessels bound for Montreal are being diverted and containers already there are sitting at the port as the fourth longshore workers strike in just over a month got underway Monday morning.

This walkout differs from the three others this summer in that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 has not said when the 1,125 longshore workers it represents will return to the job.

The previous strikes had...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/latest-strike-forces-diversion-of-montreal-bound-vessels