With a potential strike looming, the group representing East and Gulf Coast ports is urging a federal agency to compel dockworkers to resume contract negotiations.
The U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) of not bargaining in good faith.
In a statement released Thursday, the alliance explained the filing was necessary “due to the ILA’s repeated refusal to come to the table and bargain on a new master contract.”
The alliance is seeking immediate relief in the form of an order that would require the union to return to negotiations.
It remains unclear how quickly the NLRB might act, with a strike deadline just four days away.
Cranes at the Port of New York and New Jersey appear behind the Statue of Liberty, November 20, 2022, in a photo taken from New York. The U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).
AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File
The ILA’s current six-year contract is set to expire at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.
The union, representing 45,000 dockworkers from Maine to Texas, has announced it will strike if an agreement isn’t reached.
No bargaining sessions have been scheduled since June, and the two sides remain locked in a dispute over wages and a proposed ban on increased automation of port equipment.
The USMX, in its statement, emphasized its respect for the union and the value of its workers.
“We have a shared history of working together and are committed to bargaining,” the alliance said.
Despite this, industry experts say early negotiations broke down after the ILA sought a 77 percent wage increase over six years to offset inflation and allow workers to benefit from the billions made by shipping companies during the pandemic.
The ILA has dismissed this characterization of its demands.
“Deceiving the public with misleading calculations is not going to help get an agreement with the ILA,” said ILA President Harold Daggett in a statement on Monday.
According to the union, top-scale port workers currently earn $39 per hour, or just over $81,000 annually.
However, with overtime and other benefits, some workers earn in excess of $200,000 per year.
A 2019-2020 report by the Waterfront Commission overseeing New York Harbor indicated that about a third of longshoremen there earn more than $200,000 annually.
A container ship makes it way toward the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on June 30, 2021. An International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike would shut down up to 36 East and Gulf Coast ports, handling nearly half of the cargo moving in and out of the U.S.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File
The ILA argues that shipping companies have profited heavily since the pandemic began.
Maersk, a Copenhagen-based shipping giant, made over $50 billion in profits over the past four years.
While earnings have declined in 2023 as pandemic-era freight rates have normalized, the union maintains that workers deserve a larger share of the industry’s gains.
A strike would shut down up to 36 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, responsible for nearly half of U.S. cargo.
While a brief strike might have minimal impact on consumers—many retailers have stocked up in anticipation—a prolonged stoppage could result in shortages of some goods.
Heavier traffic at West Coast ports, where a different union operates, would likely occur if cargo is diverted.
A strike could also have broader economic reverberations.
Experts warn that for each day of a strike, it takes four to six days to clear the resulting backlog once work resumes.
If it happens, this would be the first national ILA strike since 1977.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
