The leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said July 12 that the threat of a strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ports is becoming more likely, as time is growing short before the current contract expires on September 30, 2024. Harold J. Daggett, ILA president and the union’s chief negotiator, said that the employers represented by United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are running out of time to negotiate a new Master Contract agreement and avoid and coast-wide strike on October 1, 2024.
“Only 80 days remain before the end of our current contract and we are waiting on USMX,” said Daggett. “The actions of violating our current Master Contract by some of their members caused us to cancel scheduled negotiations with USMX in early June.”
The ILA is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing 85,000 longshore workers along the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Great Lakes, and major U.S. rivers. It canceled Master Contract talks with USMX after discovering that APM Terminals and Maersk Line were utilizing an Auto Gate system, which autonomously processes trucks without ILA labor. This system, initially identified at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, is reportedly being used in other ports as well. The ILA said on June 10, 2024, that it would not meet with USMX until the Auto Gate issue is resolved. Additionally, the union is still waiting for the results of an audit for jobs created out of new technology, a report they have been anticipating for almost two contract periods. The ILA says it has observed an increasing number of IT personnel on marine terminals, with concerns that APM and Maersk’s IT departments in Charlotte, North Carolina, are encroaching on their jurisdiction.
President Daggett said the ILA rank-and-file members are 100% behind him, and are willing the “hit the streets” on October 1 if the union’s contract demands are not met.
“We will not entertain any discussions about extending the current contract, nor are we interested in any help from outside agencies to interfere in our negotiations with USMX,” said Daggett. “This includes the Biden Administration and the Department of Labor.”
