The International Longshoremen's Union is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container movements that are used in the loading or loading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Whenever and however the dispute is resolved, it's likely to affect how freight moves in and out of the United States for years to come.
If a strike were resolved within a few weeks, consumers probably wouldn't notice any major shortages of retail goods. But a strike that persists for more than a month would likely cause a shortage of some consumer products, although most holiday retail goods have already arrived from overseas.
A prolonged strike would almost certainly hurt the U.S. economy. Even a brief strike would cause disruptions. Heavier vehicular traffic would be likely at key points around the country as cargo was diverted to West Coast ports, where workers belong to a different union not involved in the strike. And once the longshoremen's union eventually returned to work, a ship backlog would likely result. For every day of a port strike, experts say it takes four to six days to clear it up.
"I think everyone's a bit nervous about it," said Mia Ginter, director of North America ocean shipping for C.H. Robinson, a logistics firm. "The rhetoric this time with the ILA is at a level we haven't seen before."
The longshoremen's union and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, haven't met to negotiate since June, when the union said it suspended national talks to first complete local port agreements. No further national contract talks have been scheduled.
Harold Daggett, the union president, warned earlier this month that the longshoremen stood ready to strike once their contract expires on Sept. 30.
"We are very far apart," Daggett said. "Mark my words, we'll shut them down Oct. 1 if we don't get the kind of wages we deserve."
Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de Techlife News.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de Techlife News.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
AUSTRALIA WON'T FORCE SOCIAL MEDIA USERS TO SHARE THEIR PERSONAL DETAILS WHEN CHILD BAN TAKES EFFECT
Australia’s communications minister said this week the government won’t force social media users to hand over their personal information to tech companies, as children younger than 16 are set to be banned from the platforms.
FORD, FACING ECONOMIC HEADWINDS AND WEAK EV SALES, TO CUT 4,000 JOBS IN EUROPE
Ford Motor Co. says it will reduce its workforce by 4,000 in Europe and the U.K. by the end of 2027, citing headwinds from the economy and pressure from increased competition and weaker than expected sales of electric cars.
ABOUT 20% OF AMERICANS REGULARLY GET THEIR NEWS FROM INFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, REPORT SAYS
About one in five Americans - and a virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report released this week by the Pew Research Center.
SPIRIT AIRLINES FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TRAVELERS?
Spirit Airlines, the largest budget carrier in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. The airline said customers should not see any disruption to their travel plans while the process unfolds.
MEET THE WORKOUT GROUP THAT GETS PEOPLE EXERCISING OUTDOORS, EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER
The sun had yet to come up in Edmonton, Alberta, and it was more than 20 degrees below zero. Tanis Smith layered up anyway, ready to run up and down hundreds of stairs among the trees in the Saskatchewan River Valley.
NEW PENTAGON REPORT ON UFOS INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF NEW INCIDENTS BUT NO EVIDENCE OF ALIENS
The Pentagon's latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin.
COMCAST TO SPIN OFF CABLE NETWORKS, ONCE STAR PERFORMERS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT GIANT
Comcast will spin off many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, with people increasingly swapping out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms.
DELTA CEO SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL REVERSE GOVERNMENT 'OVERREACH' SEEN UNDER BIDEN
The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.
NVIDIA RIVALS FOCUS ON BUILDING A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHIP TO POWER AI PRODUCTS
Building the current crop of artificial intelligence chatbots has relied on specialized computer chips pioneered by Nvidia, which dominates the market and made itself the poster child of the AI boom.
MICROSOFT PITCHES AI 'AGENTS' THAT CAN PERFORM TASKS ON THEIR OWN AT IGNITE 2024
AI developers are increasingly pitching the next wave of generative AI chatbots as AI \"agents\" that can do more useful things on people's behalf. But the cost of building and running AI tools is so high that more investors are questioning whether the technology's promise is overblown.
