Concern Grows Over Potential East Coast/Gulf Coast Port Strike in October

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS (July 23, 2024) – The concern of a potential strike at the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports is growing as a six-year contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) is set to expire September 30. 

Harold J. Daggett, the ILA President and union’s chief negotiator, said time to negotiate a new agreement is running out and the threat of a strike is becoming more likely. 

“Only 80 days remain before the end of our current contract and we are waiting on USMX,” Daggett said in an ILA release dated July 12. “The actions of violating our current Master Contract by some of their members caused us to cancel scheduled negotiations with USMX in early June.” 
 
USMX issued a statement on July 18 that it is committed to keeping ongoing negotiations out of the media until bargaining is complete. 

“We would like to reassure our customers and the public that there is forward movement toward resolution of the local issues that are currently being reported through the media,” the USMX statement said. “To avoid any further disruption to the cargo flow and/or damage to our nation’s economy, USMX remains ready, willing, and able to return to the bargaining table with the ILA to resume Master Contract negotiations and to reach a new Master Contract agreement.” 

The ILA canceled Master Contract talks with USMX after discovering that APM Terminals and Maersk Line were utilizing an Auto Gate system, which autonomously processes trucks without ILA labor, according to the ILA release. This system, initially identified at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, is reportedly being used in other ports as well. The ILA said on June 10 it would not meet with USMX until the Auto Gate issue is resolved.  

The ILA said it is still waiting on results from an audit for jobs created out of new technology, a report they have been anticipating for almost two contract periods. The ILA has observed an increasing number of IT personnel on marine terminals, with concerns that APM and Maersk’s IT departments in Charlotte, North Carolina, are encroaching on their jurisdiction. 

Daggett said the ILA rank-and-file members are 100 percent behind him and are willing to “hit the streets” on October 1 if the union’s contract demands are not met. The ILA is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing 85,000 longshore workers along the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Great Lakes, and major U.S. rivers. Its membership includes longshore workers in Eastern Canada and the Bahamas.  

The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) was among a group of associations and organizations that sent a letter to President Biden on June 25 asking his administration to work with both parties to resume negotiations so there is no disruption to port operations and the supply chain. Click here to read the letter.