Dockworkers in the East and Gulf Coast have initiated a strike, stopping all shipping worldwide.
On October 1, as BET reports, over 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began the strike due to a breakdown in labor contract negotiations, including wage disputes.
Reports also state that the strike began at Midnight, abruptly stopping the shipping of good across all major cargo ports from Texas to Maine. The goods include furniture, clothing, household items, bananas, and auto parts and more. Due to this recent strike, sales could be impacted for American companies.
The president of the ILA, Harold Daggett, spoke about being disappointed in companies such as APM Terminals North America and Maersk. He accused them of not offering wage increases. Daggett also spoke about how employers have “resisted demands to halt port automation projects, a key sticking point in the ongoing labor dispute.”
In a statement, Daggett said, “We are prepared to fight as long as necessary to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.” He continued, “USMX owns this strike now. They now must meet our demands for this strike to end.”
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