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Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her support for striking longshoremen along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Earlier this week, longshoremen went on strike after a dispute with their union, the ILA, and the USMX. The strike centers around the union’s concerns over automation and wages. The union is demanding a ban on the automation of cranes, gates, and container trucks, which they argue would lead to significant job losses and undermine worker security. In addition to resisting automation, the ILA is pushing for a wage increase of 77% over the duration of the contract.
What Harris said: In a statement, Vice President Harris said, “This strike is about fairness. Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown. The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
Harris attacks Trump: During her statement, the Vice President also took a swipe at former President Donald Trump, saying he “wants to pull us back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize.” She continued, “He thinks our economy should only work for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them. As President, I will have workers’ backs and finally pass the PRO Act. And I will fight for an opportunity economy — where every person has the chance not just to get by but to get ahead.”
Trump’s stance on the strike: In an interview with Fox News, Trump blamed the strike on inflation, which he says is caused by the Biden administrations economic policies. Trump was quoted saying, “The strike was caused by the massive inflation that was created by the Harris-Biden regime. Everybody understands the dockworkers because they were decimated by this inflation, just like everybody else in our country and beyond.”
What both sides are saying:
Longshoremen: In a statement, the ILA said, “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. 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.”
USMX: In a brief statement, USMX said they “have been clear that we value the work of the ILA and have great respect for its members. We have a shared history of working together and are committed to bargaining.”
