Mayor Adams, President Biden throw support behind longshoremen on strike
The strike comes with the risk of serious supply chain disruptions, as ports from the West Coast and Gulf shut their doors in solidarity with the workers.
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Ports across the U.S., including the Red Hook Terminal, are filled with picket lines as ILA workers failed to reach a deal with USMX over increases in wages and protections against automation across the nation's ports.
The longshoremen on the picket line Tuesday received a visit and endorsement from Mayor Eric Adams, who touted his administration's record settling disputes with union ferry operators.
"You cannot ask working-class people to deliver for this city, and then not deliver for them, this is union power," Adam said.
The strike also received an endorsement from President Joe Biden, who called for USMX to come to the table with terms and to fairly pay workers.
"Executive compensation has grown in line with those profits and profits have been returned to shareholders at record rates. It’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their wages as well," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
News 12 attempted to reach out to USMX for comment, but at time of writing, its website remains offline.
The strike comes with the risk of serious supply chain disruptions, as ports from the West Coast and Gulf shut their doors in solidarity with the workers.
Ace Hardware location owner in Red Hook Matt Mazzone tells News 12 they have already seen customers making a run on items, placing large bulk orders in anticipation of issues.
"What I'm hearing for us is for every one day that supply chains are disrupted it would take a week to recover, and our folks have done a great job of keeping us stocked but it is a scary moment to think about going back to COVID-style delays," he said.
Speaking to reporters outside of Maher Terminal in New Jersey, ILA President Harold Dagget called for USMX to protect workers from being phased out by automation, and for wages to keep up with inflation.
"We are looking for $5 [per year increase] across the board for six years, and we are going to fight for it because those greedy companies are making billions of dollars and they do not want to share," Dagget said.
