For the first time in nearly 50 years, the International Longshoremen Association has gone on strike. The labor stoppage will affect 36 ports along the eastern seaboard, including Port Everglades and PortMiami in South Florida.
Discussions between ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are still ongoing, but at midnight Tuesday the existing contract between the two ran out, triggering the walkout.
The ports in South Florida will remain open during the strike. The cruise and petroleum sectors of operation will not be impacted. However, 41% of all container cargo that comes through Port Everglades and 50% of PortMiami will be affected. Two other ports in Florida affected are JAXPORT in Jacksonville and Port Tampa Bay.
The Florida Ports Council said the strike predominantly will affect containerized cargo, which can include items such as clothing, furniture, automobiles, construction and hurricane supplies, medical supplies and perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables and seafoods.
President Joe Biden pointed to Hurricane Helene relief efforts in calling for the union and the maritime alliance to reach an agreement and get workers back on the job.
“As our nation climbs out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, dockworkers will play an essential role in getting communities the resources they need. Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record profits,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden added that his administration “will be monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers.”
“However long it takes to get a contract, they're willing to be here. They don't care if it's three days, three weeks, three months, six months our membership is not backing down, they know their worth.”President of ILA local 1526 Johnnie Dixon
In Fort Lauderdale, about 200 workers were in two separate camps on either side of Eller Drive next to the Port Everglades entrance on Tuesday morning. Workers held signs and chanted while wearing shirts that read “If it's a fight they want, it's a war they’re gonna get,” referencing remarks from ILA national Vice President Dennis Daggett. There were tents for shade, plenty of water and food and a barbecue.
President of ILA local 1526 Johnnie Dixon says the workers are committed to the strike for the long haul.
“However long it takes to get a contract, they're willing to be here,” he said, “They don't care if it's three days, three weeks, three months, six months our membership is not backing down, they know their worth.”
Among the ILA’s concerns are higher wages, better benefits including expanded health care and protections from automation.
“There are areas where we do need automation or we may need assistance like computers,” Dixon said. “But when it comes down to replacing a man or woman's job, we're totally opposed to that.”
READ MORE: What could be impacted by dockworkers strike in South Florida? Lots of containers
The dispute between ILA and USMX is out of the hands of Port Everglades officials, as well as the other 35 ports affected by the strike.
“We don't negotiate with the ports. We negotiate directly with the steamship lines,” said Dixon. “That's the foreign carriers, the USMX. Our ports don't have complaints. It's the carriers who complain.”
Port Everglades will feel the impact of the strike, but have no choice but to weather the storm.
“We hope there will be a quick resolution, and all containerized cargo operations can return to business as usual,” said Joseph Morris, CEO and Port Director of Port Everglades, in a statement.
It is estimated that 421,000 TEUs, an industry standard measurement for container volumes, is handled by ILA workers per year at Port Everglades. That equals the amount of cargo contained in 421,000 20-foot long shipping containers.
PortMiami said the strike will affect about 50% of cargo at three container terminals.
Dixon says the port community has been supportive of the strike. His point is underscored by the trucks carrying cargo containers who honk in support as they roll by the protest.
“Our port community supports its labor force, and we really appreciate it,” he said, “It's humbling to be a part of a port that actually supports the labor in their initiatives and their contributions.
The last ILA strike, in 1977, lasted nearly two and a half months and had dramatic impacts on the US economy.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the ports impacted collectively handle more than 68% of all containerized exports and 56% of imports for the nation, with a daily trade value exceeding $2.1 billion.
