Dave Jamieson
Wed, October 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris came out in support of the nation’s striking dockworkers Wednesday, casting the work stoppage that shut down ports from Maine to Texas as a fight for “fairness.”
“Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown,” the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
Tens of thousands of workers walked off the job Tuesday morning amid a contract dispute with port employers. Their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is calling for significant raises and protections against automation in a new six-year deal. A prolonged strike could end up squeezing the economy just as the November election approaches, putting Harris and President Joe Biden’s administration in a tricky spot.
But so far, the White House has resisted calls to intervene in the dispute and force workers back on the job in the name of national security. Biden has said he believes in the collective bargaining process and that the two sides need to sort out their differences at the negotiating table.
Kamala Harris cast this week's port strike as a fight for "fairness." BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images
On Wednesday, Harris used the strike as an opportunity to highlight how she’s different from her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, who was hostile to unions throughout his time in the White House.
“Donald Trump … wants to pull us back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize,” she said. “As President, he blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers, he appointed union busters to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] - and just recently, he said striking workers should be fired.”
The latter was a reference to a recent chat Trump had on X, formerly Twitter, with his supporter Elon Musk, the social media platform’s owner. The former president praised Musk as the kind of guy who would fire strikers, which is generally illegal. (The two men laughed.)
The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.Vice President Kamala Harris
Harris is also correct that, as president, Trump appointed anti-union officials to the NLRB who made it more difficult for workers to organize.
He also watered down a reform by his predecessor, Barack Obama, so that millions fewer workers would have overtime protections when they work more than 40 hours in a week. (If Trump wins in November, he could once again undermine a progressive overtime reform, this time issued by Biden.)
Most major labor unions have endorsed the Harris campaign, with the exception of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which declined to back either candidate. Multiple labor historians recently told HuffPost that they consider Biden’s administration to be the most pro-union since at least Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, and that Harris could build on Biden’s legacy should she defeat Trump.
Harris backs striking dockworkers, Trump blames labor stoppage on the Biden administration
Nicholas Liu
Nicholas Liu
SALON
Wed, October 2, 2024
Kamala Harris Mario Tama/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support for the 47,000 dockworkers striking for better compensation and job security on Tuesday, putting the onus on the shipping industry to prevent a potential economic fallout by satisfying organized labor's demands.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said that workers should be able to "negotiate" for better wages, but stopped short of endorsing the strike or the International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the dockworkers' union on the East and Gulf Coasts.
"This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
The shipping industry recovered from a 2023 slump to record billions of dollars in profits so far this year. Harris also pointed out that, during his presidency, Trump "blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers" and "appointed union-busters" to the National Labor Relations Board. More recently, she noted he "said striking workers should be fired."
For his part, Trump took the opportunity to snipe at Harris, blaming the strike on "inflation brought on by Kamala Harris’ two votes for massive, out-of-control spending," likely referring to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Harris helped pass with a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Inflation has steadily declined since passage of the IRA.
After months of stalled negotiations over higher wages and restrictions on automating jobs traditionally held by workers, the ILA went on strike this week, shutting down more than a dozen major ports. Failure for both parties to reach a deal could cause severe delays in the transportation of goods and raise prices.
President Joe Biden could have invoked the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to suspend the strike for 80 days while negotiations continued. However, he chose to let the strike proceed, saying he wanted to let workers exercise their collective bargaining rights. He and Secretary of Labor Julie Su have called on all parties to return to the negotiating table and give workers the "benefits they deserve."
Wed, October 2, 2024
Kamala Harris Mario Tama/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support for the 47,000 dockworkers striking for better compensation and job security on Tuesday, putting the onus on the shipping industry to prevent a potential economic fallout by satisfying organized labor's demands.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said that workers should be able to "negotiate" for better wages, but stopped short of endorsing the strike or the International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the dockworkers' union on the East and Gulf Coasts.
"This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
The shipping industry recovered from a 2023 slump to record billions of dollars in profits so far this year. Harris also pointed out that, during his presidency, Trump "blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers" and "appointed union-busters" to the National Labor Relations Board. More recently, she noted he "said striking workers should be fired."
For his part, Trump took the opportunity to snipe at Harris, blaming the strike on "inflation brought on by Kamala Harris’ two votes for massive, out-of-control spending," likely referring to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Harris helped pass with a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Inflation has steadily declined since passage of the IRA.
After months of stalled negotiations over higher wages and restrictions on automating jobs traditionally held by workers, the ILA went on strike this week, shutting down more than a dozen major ports. Failure for both parties to reach a deal could cause severe delays in the transportation of goods and raise prices.
President Joe Biden could have invoked the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to suspend the strike for 80 days while negotiations continued. However, he chose to let the strike proceed, saying he wanted to let workers exercise their collective bargaining rights. He and Secretary of Labor Julie Su have called on all parties to return to the negotiating table and give workers the "benefits they deserve."
Kamala Harris joined Biden in backing the dockworkers' strike at major U.S. ports
• SALON
Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday expressed her support for the tens of thousands of dockworkers on strike for better wages and job security.
“This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
The International Longshoremen Association (ILA) went on strike early Tuesday morning after its contract with the group that represents shipping companies, terminal operators, and port associations expired. Some 45,000 workers are on picket lines at more than a dozen major ports that collectively account for about 51% of the nation’s port capacity.
The union is pushing for protection against automation, new technology in terminals, and wage hikes.
Between 2018 and 2024, employees received a $1 per hour increase to their wages, to a maximum of $38 per hour — about $79,000 annually on a 40-hour work week — while new employees started at $20 an hour. The ILA rejected the alliance’s latest offer, which would boost wages by almost 50%, triple employer contributions to retirement plans, and retain the current language around automation.
In a statement Tuesday, the ILA said the offer presented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) ignored that “many” workers start at that $20 hourly wage and that members “endure a grueling six-year wage progression” before they reach the highest wage tier.
“Our members don’t work typical 9-to-5 jobs; they work extraordinary hours, sacrificing time with their families,” the ILA said. “Our position is firm: we believe in the value our incredible rank-and-file members bring to this industry and to our great nation.”
In addition to Harris, the longshoremen have been backed by President Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Julie Su, who called for the parties to get back to the negotiating table and give workers the “benefits they deserve.” Several labor unions — from the Teamsters to the United Auto Workers to the Association of Flight Attendants — have also endorsed the ILA’s strike.
“My Administration will be monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers, including those on the USMX board,” Biden said Tuesday. Several members of USMX, including Maersk (AMKBY) and Hapag-Lloyd (HPGLY), have plans to implement surcharges related to the strike later this month.
Read More: The U.S. port strike is bad news for farmers, furniture stores — and just about everyone else
The vice president on Wednesday also took aim at her rival, former President Donald Trump, pointing to his recent comments about firing striking workers. The UAW slapped Trump and Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk with federal labor charges in August after the former president praised Musk’s history of anti-union sentiment, which has affected at least two of his companies.
Most of the U.S.’s major labor unions have endorsed Harris, with the Teamsters union a notable exception, although many locals have since given her their backing. Wednesday, Harris reaffirmed her commitment to passing the pro-labor Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
In his statement Tuesday, Trump claimed the strikes were “only happening” because of inflation, for which he blamed Harris. Although he stopped short of endorsing the ILA, Trump expressed some support for their efforts.
“American workers should be able to negotiate for better wages, especially since the shipping companies are mostly foreign flag vessels, including the largest consortium One,” the former president said.
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