in World News 45,000 Dock Workers From Maine to Texas Go on Strike
Nation Braces for Inflation Spike and Supply Chain Chaos — Experts Warn U.S. Faces $5 Billion Loss a Day
Americans are now staring down the barrel of another crisis — this time, a strike involving 45,000 dock workers from Maine to Texas.
The result? A looming economic catastrophe that could cost the U.S. a staggering $5 billion in just one day while Americans brace for another skyrocketing inflation and severe supply chain disruptions.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing workers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, has made clear that the strike is not only about wages but also about job protection in the face of creeping automation.
The strike began early Tuesday morning as the contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expired without a resolution.
“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject”, the ILA said in a statement.
“ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing. It’s disgraceful that most of these foreign-owned shipping companies are engaged in a ‘Make and Take’ operation: They want to make their billion-dollar profits at United States ports, and off the backs of American ILA longshore workers, and take those earnings out of this country and into the pockets of foreign conglomerates. Meanwhile, ILA dedicated longshore workers continue to be crippled by inflation due to USMX’s unfair wage packages.“