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President-elect Trump this week expressed support for longshore workers’ opposition to automation at U.S. ports, and his transition team will meet with representatives of port employers amid the threat that another strike could be triggered unless that an agreement be reached before he returns to the White House.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the union representing the 45,000 dock workers who went on strike in October, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents dock employers, agreed when the strike ended to extend his contract until January 15. five days before Trump’s inauguration.
Port workers strike at the Bayport container terminal in Seabrook, Texas, on Oct. 1, 2024. Ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts were closed in October after the ILA and the USMX failed to reach a contractual agreement. (MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The two sides had reached an agreement on a substantial pay increase for workers, but talks collapsed in November due to an ongoing dispute over the implementation of automation at ports, which the union says is a threat to union jobs. . The USMX maintains that automation would improve safety and efficiency.
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Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social platform that he met with ILA President Harold Daggett and Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett and said he is on the union’s side when it comes to automation.
Harold J. Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, speaks as dockworkers at the Maher terminals in Port Newark go on strike on October 1, 2024 in New Jersey. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“The amount of money saved (by automation) is nowhere near the anguish, pain and harm it causes to American workers, in this case, our longshoremen,” Trump wrote. “Foreign companies have made a fortune in the United States by giving them access to our markets. They should not be looking for every last cent knowing how many families are harmed.”
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“They have record profits and I prefer that these foreign companies spend them on the great men and women of our docks than on machinery, which is expensive and will have to be constantly replaced,” continued the president-elect. .
Then-Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to guests during a campaign stop at Drake Enterprises, an auto parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“In the end, they don’t win anything and I hope they understand how important this issue is to me,” he added. “To have the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American workers, instead of laying them off and sending those profits to foreign countries.”
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In response to Trump’s post, the USMX issued a statement saying they appreciate and value the president-elect’s statement on the importance of American ports, and said it is clear that he, the USMX and the ILA “share the goal of protecting and add good-paying American jobs at our ports.”
“But this contract goes beyond our ports: it’s about supporting American consumers and giving American businesses global market access, from farmers to manufacturers, small businesses and innovative startups looking for new markets to sell their products.” . the statement says.
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“To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, drive port efficiency, increase port capacity and strengthen our supply chains. ILA members’ compensation increases the more goods they move: greater capacity “They have our ports and the goods that move mean more money in their pockets.”
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The USMX added: “We look forward to working with the president-elect and the incoming administration on how our members are working to support the strength and resilience of the US supply chain and make crucial investments that support ILA members already millions of workers and businesses across the national supply chain, improving efficiency and creating even more good-paying jobs for ILA members.”
A source told FOX Business that USMX has a meeting scheduled with Trump’s transition team, but did not reveal when it is scheduled.
