President Biden is urging the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) to “present a fair offer” to the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), as a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports enters its second day.
The ILA’s collective bargaining agreement expired on September 30, with the union representing 25,000 dockworkers across 14 U.S. ports going on strike on October 1. On that same day, the USMX said that it had an offer on the table to increase wages by nearly 50%. The ILA responded soon after that, saying that the offer “fails to address the demands of our members adequately,” noting that some workers would have to wait six years to reach the top tier of wages promised by the USMX.
Read More: Strike at U.S. Ports Brings Debate Over Automation Front and Center
President Biden voiced support for the ILA in a statement of his own, asserting that “it’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase to their wages.”
“Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record profits,” Biden added.
The ILA has indicated that it wants to increase hourly pay by $5 for each year over the life of the six-year contract. The union has also been emphatic about its concerns over automated technology at ports, stating its in its most recent release that it “will not accept the loss of work and livelihood for our members due to automation.”
