The longshoremen's union's demand for a total ban on automation has been called into question by the port strike
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, RNJ, said in 'The Evening Edit' that potential port strikes across the US could indeed 'exacerbate supply chain problems'.
As thousands of dockworkers prepare to strike if an agreement cannot be reached by the end of Monday, a business leader is questioning the union's demand for a total ban on automation.
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) said Sunday that its 85,000 members, “along with tens of thousands of dockworkers and maritime workers around the world,” will “hit the picket line” on Tuesday and strike all ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Maine to Texas. “
The union is demanding higher wages and a total ban on port automation related to loading and unloading of cranes, gates and moving containers.
Benchmark Capital's Bill Gurley responded to the union's demands on social media, writing that the federal government should step in if the union wants a total ban on automation.
Port employers have met with the Biden administration as a possible strike looms
“Outlawing effective use of technology will undoubtedly destroy our nation,” Gurley wrote. “We will become globally competitive.”
The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) represents employers at 36 seaports that could be affected by a potential strike. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File/Getty Images)
The ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents employers at 36 seaports that could be affected by the strike, are deadlocked over issues including wages and automation at the ports.
The White House confirmed that administration officials have met with both sides and urged them to continue negotiations. (Qian Weizong/VCG via Getty Images, File/Getty Images)
“The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation in which ocean carrier profits have skyrocketed from millions to mega-billion dollars, while ILA longshore wages have remained flat,” the ILA said Sunday.
Which products will be disrupted by the port strike?
A White House official confirmed to Fox Business on Friday that senior officials from the White House, Labor Department and Transportation Department met with the parties ahead of a possible strike and urged them to return to the negotiating table “in good faith and quickly.”
Chris Butler, CEO of National Tree Company, explains why he and other businesses are hoping for a solution to a potential port strike with the holidays on 'the bottom line'.
A potential port strike would disrupt various export and import shipments from East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.
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An analysis by JP Morgan estimated that a strike would cost the US economy up to $5 billion per day.
Fox Business' Daniel Hillsdon and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
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