US President Joe Biden made it clear on Sunday that he would not intervene in the labour negotiations involving thousands of dockworkers who are on the brink of a strike that could potentially halt operations at major ports and disrupt US trade.
Biden, who was returning to Washington from Delaware, responded with a firm “no” when asked by reporters whether he would involve himself in the ongoing dispute, citing the principle of ‘collective bargaining.’
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing approximately 85,000 dockworkers across 36 US ports, has been in contract negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) since May.
However, talks have recently stalled, prompting the union to threaten a strike. The ILA has announced that workers at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports will walk out at midnight on Tuesday if an agreement is not reached.
The union claims the USMX has failed to address longstanding wage disparities, highlighting that profits for ocean carriers have surged from millions to billions, while longshore workers’ wages have stagnated.
“USMX refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation where Ocean Carriers profits skyrocketed from millions to mega-billion dollars, while ILA longshore wages remained flat,” the union stated on Sunday.
If the strike proceeds, it will affect 14 major ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, excluding the western ports. The potential shutdown poses significant risks to billions of dollars in US trade and could have an economic impact just as early voting begins for the November presidential election.
Biden, often hailed as the most “pro-union” president in modern history, seems committed to maintaining a hands-off approach, allowing workers to press their case without government interference.
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