A crane stands on top of a shipping container at Port Newark on March 26, 2024.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Port strikes on the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico will begin on Tuesday, the International Union of Longshoremen’s Associations said on Sunday, signaling action that could cause delays and disrupt supply chains.
“The United States Maritime Alliance … refuses to address half a century of wage subjugation,” the union said in a statement. The United States Maritime Alliance, known as USMX, represents employers in the Eastern and Gulf longshore industries.
If union members don’t work at ports that stretch from Maine to Texas, it will be the first ILA strike on the coast since 1977.
It was not immediately clear whether any talks had taken place or were being planned before Monday’s midnight deadline.
Earlier, President Joe Biden said he did not want to intervene to prevent a walkout if dock workers failed to secure a new contract by the Oct. 1 deadline.
“It was negotiated together. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley,” he told reporters.
The president can intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act.
