Port Strikes Extend a New Era of American Labor Activism

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

10:43 AM EDT, October 1, 2024

The U.S. dockworkers who went on strike early Tuesday are just the latest unionized group to back their demands for better contracts by walking off the job to illustrate their value to both the national economy, and their employers’ bottom line.

Unions representing auto workers, actors, hotel housekeepers and aircraft assembly workers all called strikes as organized labor made itself heard over the past year. Members argued they made the sacrifices their companies asked of them during the pandemic and rough economic patches, and now it’s time to catch up, particularly after several years of heightened inflation.

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of work stoppages rose 9% to 466 strikes and four lockouts, according to figures maintained by Cornell University’s ILR School. However, the number of workers involved in work stoppages, approximately 539,000, was more than double than the previous year, according to the school’s research.

A database maintained by Cornell and the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recorded 250 strikes and other labor actions in 2024 as of Monday.

U.S. ports and the International Longshoremen’s Association

Dockworkers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas hit picket lines early Tuesday, the first strike for them in decades, over wages and automation even though progress had been reported in contract talks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight.

The alliance said it had increased its offer to 50% raises over six years and it pledged to keep limits on automation in place from the old contract. The alliance also said its offer tripled employer contributions to retirement plans and strengthened health care options. In a statement early Tuesday, the union said it rejected the alliance’s latest proposal because it “fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.” The two sides had not held formal negotiations since June.

If drawn out, the strike will force businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause some goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season — potentially impacting delivery of anything from toys and artificial Christmas trees to cars, coffee and fruit.