by Jessica Holdman, SC Daily Gazette
October 1, 2024
CHARLESTON — After failing to reach a final-hour agreement, some 45,000 members of the International Longshoreman Association walked off the job Tuesday, shutting down 36 seaports from Maine to Texas, including in Charleston.
Union members set up picket lines at three S.C. State Ports Authority shipping terminals just after midnight, according to Charles Brave, president of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1422.
The strike marks the first in almost 50 years for the East Coast union workers who load and unload cargo from container ships. Eastern ports handle more than half of the United States’ annual cargo trade.
The union is seeking wage hikes of $5 more per hour annually for six years, which represents a 77% pay increase over the length of the contract, reports the New York Times. The union also wants a ban on the use of automated cranes and container-handling equipment that require fewer workers.
Talks with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, known as USMX, which represents major shipping lines, broke down in June. The last day of the union’s previous working contract with the alliance was Monday, expiring before a new deal was reached.
“ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing,” the union said in a statement Monday morning.
Under the union’s contract that expired Monday, negotiated in 2018, dockworkers start at $20 an hour. Employees with at least six years of experience receive a base pay of $39 an hour, which translates to $81,120 a year for a regular 40-hour work week. But longshoreman often work much more, sometimes earning over $200,000 annually with overtime, weekends and extra shifts.
The union’s pre-strike request would raise base pay for experienced dockworkers to $69 an hour by 2030.
Hours before the midnight deadline the alliance said it was offering 50% raises and seeking a contract extension for talks to continue.
Two container ships were scheduled for loading and offloading Tuesday at the Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant, according to the South Carolina Ports Authority’s calendar.
“Following any break in operations that might occur, SC Ports and our maritime industry partners would marshal every resource possible to facilitate the swift recovery of business,” Port Authority officials wrote in a Sept. 20 statement.
The state Ports Authority employs 700 people, with union members performing the majority of the dockwork. About 270 non-unionized state employees have historically operated state-owned equipment.
Ahead of the strike, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of North Charleston called on the union to hold off on its plan, citing ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene, which ravaged the Southeast.
“At least 100 Americans have died, millions have been without power, and flooding continues to devastate homes and communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” the South Carolina Republican wrote in a statement Monday. “As Americans, it is our duty to help those in need access shelter, food, water, and electricity. A strike would greatly disrupt our supply chain and economy, only worsening the pain of those who have already lost everything.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called on President Joe Biden to intervene, using his emergency powers under the Taft-Hartley Act to seek a court injunction to send longshoremen back to work for an 80-day cooling-off period.
The White House urged both sides to negotiate but has said it would not step in.
As the Nov. 5 presidential election nears, Democrats are counting on union workers to deliver voters, particularly in the swing states, which include Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania on the East Coast.
Estimated costs to the U.S. economy vary from $540 million per day predicted by a global think tank, The Conference Board, to $5 billion a day predicted by analysts with JPMorgan, the New York Times reported.
The state port extended its hours in the preceding weeks and months as retailers upped their inventories in preparation for a strike. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when long waits and higher shipping costs drove up inflation, the federal government also has installed tools to better monitor supplies.
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