East Coast Longshore workers with the International Longshoremen’s Association are returning to work, after three raucous days on the picket lines. They received a promise of a $24-an-hour pay raise over six years, bringing top pay from $39 to $63. The strike paralyzed shipping in huge port complexes like Newark, Houston, and Charleston, stopping loads of fruit, vehicles, and heavy equipment. It was the first coastwide strike for the ILA since 1977. The sides will return to bargaining on the other big issue of the strike, automation, extending the old agreement to January 15.
Hell yeah
It does seem like the harder part of the negotiation (automation) will happen in January.
It’s a shame that the labor union is opposed to Automation but in a capitalist system any loss of a job threatens loss of life: there is strong incentive from unions to oppose automation for that reason.
Automation should be the joy of the worker but without ownership of the means it becomes the worker’s doom.
Fair points all around.
It always makes me glad to see workers kick management in the dick, though.