Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn’t install more automated systems
WASHINGTON — president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday expressed support for the dockworkers’ union before their contracts expire next month at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, saying any further “automation” of the ports would hurt workers.
The new president posted on social media that he met with Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president.
“I studied automation and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump wrote. “The amount of money saved does not come close to the suffering, pain and damage it causes to American workers, in this case our longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the US by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t have to search for every last cent knowing how many families have been hurt.”
The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the US Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies.
At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and containers that can make the loading and unloading of ships faster. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher productivity levels could do more to raise wages for remaining workers.
The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “support American consumers and give American companies access to the global marketplace – from farmers to manufacturers, to small businesses and innovative startups looking to to new markets to sell their products. products.”
“To achieve this, we need modern technology proven to improve worker safety, increase port efficiency, increase port capacity and strengthen our supply chains,” the alliance said, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump.
In October, the union representing 45,000 dock workers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could drive up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export U.S. products abroad.
The issue is about an incoming president who… won the November elections about promising to lower prices despite pledges to support workers, along with the kind of cutting-edge technology that drew support from Silicon Valley elites like billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump tried to portray the dispute as one between American workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also critical to staying globally competitive. China opens one $1.3 billion port in Peru which could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal.
There is a risk that shippers will move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is building a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports.
Instead, Trump said ports and shipping companies should “avoid machines, which are expensive and require constant replacement.”
“For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies must hire, rather than fire, our incredible American workers and send those profits back abroad,” Trump said. “It’s time to put AMERICA FIRST!”
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