Shipping companies raked in billions during the COVID-19 pandemic, International Longshoremen’s Association International President Harold J. Daggett told FOX Business on Tuesday.
Now, he insists, the “money crazy” businesses are going a step further with a push for automation.
“It’s long overdue,” Daggett told correspondent Lydia Hu of the strike that began Tuesday at midnight as a contract between the ports and approximately 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) came to an end.
It marks the first time the union has gone on strike in nearly 50 years.
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“Things were rough back then [in 1977]. We went on strike for $0.80. The companies only made like 5 to $10 million, but since COVID and before COVID ’til now, they’re making billions and billions of dollars. It’s a whole different story, but they don’t want to share it. They’d rather see a fully automated terminal right here on the East Coast so they can make more money. They’re money crazy,” Daggett continued.
“There’s not one company that belongs to the United States, but they want to get rid of our jobs out of the United States, so that’s why we’re all fighting here. It’s for jurisdiction, for health. It’s for wages. It’s for a whole bunch of stuff, and they don’t want to come to the table and share.”
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Thousands of dockworkers began walking the picket lines at midnight, Tuesday, signaling what many warn could be a tough time ahead for the nation, with shortages to come and prices expected to rise if the strike goes on for a substantial amount of time.
As of now, there’s no end in sight.
Details from Politico indicate the union’s constitution enables Daggett to call a strike without a union members’ vote, and he previously urged his intent to allow the strike to go into effect unless The United States Maritime Alliance, negotiating on behalf of the port industry, meets the ILA’s demands.
The organization insists the ILA has failed to come to the table, something the ILA denies, according to Politico.
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The outlet also warned economic shockwaves from the strike could have negative impacts on the Biden-Harris administration, particularly as the vice president attempts to characterize the economy positively.
Though specific demands remain unclear, Politico reported that some numbers floated indicate that Daggett is requesting raises of close to 80% over the next six years, a percentage the union denies while insisting it is realistically closer to 60%.
Union filings from the Department of Labor, meanwhile, indicate Daggett earned a $728,000 gross salary last year.
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