The strike of Longshoremen begins after Biden admin tried help get a settlement….
I short strike won’t hurt much…
But a prolonged one would begin to affect the nation’s economy and put Presiodent Biden and VP Harris in a tough place of balancing the WHOLE economy vs support for union/labor at a time a month out from a election the strkers know ….
The interesting thing is that a good amount of those striking ARE probably Trump/Republican supporter’s and they are alright with the problems they might cause the Presiden t and Vice President….
BUT?
Donald Trump is in NO WAY Pro-Union and Labor, eh?
President Biden is behind the worker’s for NOW…
But he does have the authority to order them back work for a ‘cooling off ‘ period under Federal law….
It was unclear early Tuesday what the next steps might be in resolving the dispute between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and shippers and port operators.
The U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents the companies, said Monday just hours before a midnight deadline that negotiators traded proposals in recent days and that it was offering 50 percent raises. The alliance, whose members include large European and Asian shipping lines such as Maersk and Evergreen, said it was seeking a contract extension to allow talks to continue….
…
President Joe Biden backed the striking longshoremen Tuesday, calling on the maritime alliance to cut a fair deal. He highlighted record profits at the shipping lines it represents, along with high executive pay and payouts to shareholders, as well as foreign ownership.
“It’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their wages as well,” Biden said in a statement.
On Monday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called on Biden to seek to block the walkout by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, which would impose an 80-day “cooling off” period for negotiations. But officials have consistently said the president does not plan to use his legal powers to try to force the parties to talk and end a strike, strengthening the union’s position….
…
With ILA officials threatening to strike for months, many big companies have had time to prepare, ordering goods for the holiday shopping season earlier than usual and diverting shipments to the West Coast. White House officials say they are confident supply chains can weather the strike, at least for a while. That view is shared by independent analysts.
“It really is just a question of duration,” said Bruce Chan, a transportation analyst at investment firm Stifel. “If we see a strike that lasts for a less than a week, we think it’s relatively digestible for the system.”…
…
The union says its members will continue to handle military cargo and cruise ships. West Coast longshoremen are represented by a separate union, and ports in California, Oregon and Washington state remain open. Oil and gas terminals are operated by separate work crews that are not heavily unionized and will not be affected. High-value shipments such as pharmaceuticals are often transported by air, an option more importers could resort to….
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.