About 45,000 Workers Begin Strike At Major US Ports As Contract Expires

About 45,000 port workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have gone on strike indefinitely at ports across the US, after their contracts expired at the midnight, threatening significant trade and economic disruption ahead of the presidential election.

This massive strike resulted as the failed negotiation over the new union contract between ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on Monday. And the workers began their strike at 12.01 am on Tuesday with 36 ports along the east and Gulf coast being affected. As per reports workers began picketing at the port of Philadelphia after midnight, walking in a circle at a rail crossing outside the port and chanting, “No work without a fair contract.” This action marked the first shutdown in almost 50 years.

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Negotiators on both sides of the table have accused each other of refusing to bargain. The ILA has argued that USMX, which represent 40 ocean terminals and port operators has “low balled” offers on wage raise for workers and accused it of violating the previous contract by introducing automation at several ports of the US.

Moreover, the USMX has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the union was refusing to negotiate. Ahead of the strike, USMX on Monday said that both the parties had exchanged new offers on wages.

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The current wages under the contract that expired on Monday range from $20 an hour to the top wage of $39 an hour. The union is seeking raises of 77% over the six-year contract, to a top rate of $69 an hour by 2030. This sparked the outbreak and ahead of the strike, the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US issued a statement in support of the union.

As per reports the president, Joe Biden who have the power to suspend the strike for 80, which would pay way fro further negotiation said that he did not plan to interfere to block it.