According to U.S. local media reports, the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports of the container terminal workers union has terminated the negotiation process with the employer. The unions have expressed strong dissatisfaction with Maersk's launch of automated equipment to replace workers at some of the ports.
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), the union's representative, has attempted to negotiate a new labour pact with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), but negotiations have now reached an impasse. The breakdown comes less than four months before September 30, when the original six-year pact between the two parties expires. The pact covers about 45,000 dockworkers on the East Coast from Boston to Houston, which encompasses six of the nation's busiest ports.
Recently, global shipping markets have climbed to new highs since the New Crown outbreak as some routes have been disrupted. Against this backdrop, labour tensions at US East Coast ports have increased further, with the risk of strikes rising significantly.
The U.S. financial media CNBC pointed out that with the economic recovery after the epidemic and inflationary pressures continue to climb, the U.S. and the world's ports of labour resistance is increasingly intense. Among them, the issue of terminal automation is particularly prominent.
The ILA sent out a press release on Monday (10) saying that any new contract negotiation timetable scheduled for this week would need to be suspended first. The union said they discovered that Maersk, the parent company of the world's second-largest shipping company and operator of APM terminals, was using an automated system to handle trucking operations at its Port of Mobile, Alabama, terminal without involving workers. Union members believe that automation technology is being used not only at Port Mobile, but at other ports as well.
For its part, the union emphasised that Maersk's actions were a clear violation of a previous agreement between the two parties and said ‘we will not tolerate it any longer’. ILA President Harold Daggett pointed out that ‘we tried to negotiate a new contract with USMX when one of its most prominent members was openly violating the existing agreement. one of USMX's most prominent members, openly violated the existing agreement. This was done for the sole purpose of eliminating ILA jobs under the guise of automation."
In response, a Maersk spokesperson responded via an emailed press release that all operations at the APM terminal are carried out in strict accordance with the terms of the agreement between the two parties. The company is disappointed that the ILA is deliberately picking holes and trying to create bargaining chips, and will continue to maintain communication with all parties to allay their concerns.
As the largest longshoremen's union in North America, the ILA has 85,000 members. In the past, U.S. East Coast ports have been relatively stable and less prone to labour protests. Usually, both sides would agree on a new labour pact before a strike occurred. However, the last time there was a strike at an East Coast port was back in 1977.
https://www.cnss.com.cn/html/gkdt/20240611/353726.html
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