Dockworkers looking to reach a labor deal before the January strike deadline just got the backing of a big ally in President-elect Donald Trump. Trump threw his support behind longshore workers’ major sticking point in labor negotiations, automation at the ports.
He said he met with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) President Harold Daggett this week.
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On Truth Social, the president-elect posted, “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen.”
The ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, the group representing ports and shipping companies, have until Jan. 15 to reach a deal to avoid a possible strike. The Maritime Alliance said its companies and ports are working to speed up processing in ways that it claims will help American businesses.
“We need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” the organization said.
A strike could have major effects on the U.S. economy. Longshore workers went on strike for three days in October before the two sides reached a short-term deal.
Economists say strikes at the ports cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars every day. A shutdown lasting more than a few weeks will push up prices and crunch supplies, though unlike in October, there’s no holiday season looming come January.
