Port of Baltimore workers on strike (Screenshot: April Color/X)
Americans are now staring down the barrel of another crisis — this time, a strike involving 45,000 dock workers from Maine to Texas.
The result? A looming economic catastrophe that could cost the U.S. a staggering $5 billion in just one day while Americans brace for another skyrocketing inflation and severe supply chain disruptions.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing workers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, has made clear that the strike is not only about wages but also about job protection in the face of creeping automation.
The strike began early Tuesday morning as the contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expired without a resolution.
“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject”, the ILA said in a statement.
“ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing. It’s disgraceful that most of these foreign-owned shipping companies are engaged in a ‘Make and Take’ operation: They want to make their billion-dollar profits at United States ports, and off the backs of American ILA longshore workers, and take those earnings out of this country and into the pockets of foreign conglomerates. Meanwhile, ILA dedicated longshore workers continue to be crippled by inflation due to USMX’s unfair wage packages.“
“In addition, the shippers are gouging their customers that result in increased costs to American consumers. They are now charging $30,000 for a full container, a whopping increase from $6,000 per container just a few weeks ago. In just a short time, they went from 6K, to 18K, then 24K and now $30,000. It’s unheard of and they are doubling their $30,000 fee stuffing the same container from multiple shippers. They are killing the customers,” the ILA concluded.
The union’s demands include a 77% pay raise over six years, a fair request considering the astronomical cost of living increases under Biden regime, and no automated machinery.
Workers began picketing at the Port of Philadelphia and Port Houston, among other locations, carrying signs that read, “No Work Without a Fair Contract.”
Experts say the ILA strike is the first at these ports since 1977 and could cost the economy up to $5 billion per day as imports and exports are blocked, according to USA Today.
Screenshot: Fox News
Watch the videos:
LATE BREAKING: More than 45,000 dock workers from Maine to Texas went on strike at midnight demanding HIGHER WAGES and no automation at the ports..
Experts say a one week strike will cost the United States $3.8 BILLION dollars..
Strike is positioning itself to become the… pic.twitter.com/bhodQx3IhH
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 1, 2024
#BREAKING: Over 45,000 U.S. port workers have officially gone on strike from Maine to Texas for the first time since 1977
#Unitedstates | #USA
Currently, nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are on strike for the first time since 1977,… pic.twitter.com/5yaLfQ7I5l
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) October 1, 2024
Port Strike Happening Now 10/1 Port of Baltimore workers on strike! Longshoremen bringing docks to a halt. #BaltimoreStrike
NYNJ Ports Monitoring the situation closely pic.twitter.com/uI5XY7c9NP
— April Color (@ColorApril) October 1, 2024
Meanwhile, the White House seems unprepared for the situation. When asked about the potential impact of a dockworkers’ strike lasting longer than a week, Harris-Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo admitted, “I have not been very focused on that.”
WATCH:
CNBC: What are you hearing will happen if dockworkers strike and it goes longer than a week?
Harris-Biden Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo: “I have not been very focused on that.”
pic.twitter.com/Q6rpqsoiO8
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 30, 2024
The post 45,000 Dock Workers From Maine to Texas Go on Strike — Nation Braces for Inflation Spike and Supply Chain Chaos — Experts Warn U.S. Faces $5 Billion Loss a Day appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.