Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, reacts to a tentative deal for port workers and Tim Walz says he stands by his previous Tiananmen Square claims. (Courtesy: CBS News)
labor union They are representing 45,000 American dockworkers who went on strike in the autumn and are returning to the negotiating table with port employers amid threats of another strike at East and Gulf Coast ports this month.
Fox Business confirmed on Thursday that International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) And the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) will resume contract discussions on January 7 after talks broke down in November. The deadline to reach an agreement before another strike is January 15.
Striking members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, will hold a sit-in in Brooklyn on October 2, 2024. The dockworkers were striking over wages, the use of automated technology and other labor issues. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The two parties signed a temporary agreement in October – giving workers a 62% pay increase over six years – to end the three-day strike, but issues related to automation were left unresolved.
There is still a deadlock between the two sides regarding automation. If a second strike occurs, the wage settlement agreed in principle under which the first strike was concluded will be taken off the table and both parties will be back at square one.
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President-elect Trump After meeting with ILA President Harold Daggett and Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett last month, he expressed his support for dockworkers’ protests against automation at US ports.
International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold J. Daggett talked about dockworkers at Maher Terminals in Port Newark, New Jersey going on strike on October 1, 2024. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“The amount of money saved (by automation) does not even come close to the distress, injury and harm it will cause to American workers, in this case, our longshoremen,” Trump wrote on his Truth social platform. “Foreign companies have made their fortunes in America by providing access to our markets. They should not be looking for every penny, knowing how many families have been harmed.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to guests during a campaign stop at automotive parts manufacturer Drake Enterprises on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The president-elect added, “They’ve made record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women we have on our docket than on machinery that is expensive and must be constantly replaced.” ,
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A source told fox business At the time, USMX scheduled a meeting with Trump’s transition team, but did not say when it would take place.
Daniel Hilsdon of Fox Business and Reuters contributed to this report.
