The big question: what is the future for the global port labour force?
There was brief period of hope for US importers in early October, after a three-day ...
Photo: ILA
Hopes of a resolution to the ongoing stand-off between dockers and employers at ports on the US east and Gulf coasts are rapidly diminishing – neither side budging over automation.
With a “tentative agreement on wages” that ended a three-day closure of ports in October, the ILA union and port employer association USMX said they would extend the current master contract and negotiations until 15 January, six days before Donald Trump returns to office.
If those ...
Comment on this article
Dwight Campbell
December 04, 2024 at 7:12 pmThese guys probably thought they had a job for life if they signed on long enough ago. After all, these are not the kind of jobs that can be moved offshore because fiber optic cables got laid around the planet.
The US government just recently put a significant tariff on Chinese cranes for the very same reason the dock workers are now claiming as their own – national security.
So the US government is now supporting the idea of building cranes domestically. Are they also going to investigate the security issues posed by automated handling equipment?
If the automation issue persists, getting back to work after a few days back in early October is likely not going to be repeated in mid January. I wonder if Mr Trump is up to date on this, because it could compete for headlines with his party on the 20th. Maybr he’ll threaten higher tariffs on China…
It looks like a test of wills is coming and that labour turmoil is still the flavour of the day.