Dave Jamieson, the labor reporter for the HuffPost, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his recent article on the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike and provided insights into what he’s learned through his interviews and research.
The ILA has gone on strike at 36 East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. After negotiations for a new contract brokedown, 45,000 workers began their strike at midnight on Oct. 1, following the expiration of their previous agreement.
ILA International President Harold J. Daggett said that negotiations broke down after the employer wanted to automate the docks, did not offer fair wage increases and would continue to require mandatory overtime. Jamieson discussed the similarities between this strike and the 2023 Teamsters strike at UPS over wages and SAG-AFTRA’s strike against the video game industry this year over the unregulated use of AI in games. Jamieson said that the ILA is trying to avoid automation. With complete automation at the ports, there would be a significant loss of workers as they would not be considered necessary, he said.
In his article, Jamieson discussed the pressure placed on President Joe Biden to intervene and end the strike. He talked about the options available to the President through Taft-Hartley regulations. According to some economists Jamieson has spoken with, a short strike would not significantly impact the economy, but a prolonged strike would be different. He said that it does not appear that President Biden will get involved as he sees this as workers exercising their right to collective bargaining.
Listen to the show above to hear more from Jamieson on the ILA strike.