The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) failed to reach a new labor contract agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) prompting about 45,000 US dockworkers to go on strike. The work stoppage is affecting operations at 36 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, from Maine to Texas.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka joins Wealth! to share his perspective on this development.
Seroka acknowledges that the economic landscape has shifted since the ILA’s last contract signing, emphasizing that “these workers deserve to get paid” and receive improved job security. He anticipates the strike will bring “a little more activity” to the contract negotiation talks, which had seemingly quieted in recent months. However, Seroka points out that ongoing shipping disruptions in the Red Sea and Panama Canal had already made getting goods to the East Coast “questionable,” so many were prepared for potential port-related issues to become “much more pronounced.”
In light of this labor dispute, Seroka highlights two key considerations: First, “there’s not going to be an immediate impact to the economy.” Second, he notes that if the strike persists, there will be significant focus on port and traffic congestion. Seroka explains, “For every day out of the job it probably takes about a week to clean up that backlog but it is manageable.”
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This post was written by Angel Smith
