East Coast Port Workers Are on Strike

Port workers across the east coast went on strike Tuesday. Veuer’s Matt Hoffman has the story.

Transcript

00:00Dock workers are on strike across the East Coast.

00:03The International Longshoremen's Association stopped work on Tuesday after being unable to

00:07reach a contract agreement with a group representing their employers, the United

00:10States Maritime Alliance, or USMX. The sticking points are wage increases and automation.

00:16CNN reports that the ILA wants a $5 per hour pay increase for each of the next six years.

00:22According to Jacobin, the current top rate for members is $39 per hour,

00:27much less than the analogous West Coast rate of $54.85.

00:30West Coast dock workers are represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and

00:35are not currently on strike. Jacobin says the ILA also wants automated gates, cranes,

00:40and trucks to be banned. This is worker Daniel Amali.

00:44Employers push automation under the guise of safety,

00:47but it is really about cutting labor costs to increase their already exceptionally high profits.

00:53Estimates of how much this strike could cost vary from $2.1 billion for one week,

00:58according to the Anderson Economic Group via CNN, to $5 billion per day, according to labor

01:03and business experts who spoke to The Hill. President Biden has said he will not invoke

01:07the Taft-Hartley Act to force workers back on the job.

01:10It's collective bargaining. I don't believe in Taft-Hartley.