The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are currently entrenched in contract negotiations revolving around the coast-wide Master Contract.
The ILA is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing 85,000 longshore workers along the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Great Lakes, and major U.S. rivers.
USMX is an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving the East and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.
Currently, the six-year long agreement signed in 2018, known as the master contract is set to expire on September 30, 2024. Talks scheduled for June 11th have been suspended after ILA members discovered terminals using an Auto Gate system which enables terminals to process trucks autonomously without ILA labor.
THREAT POSED BY AUTOMATION
The Auto Gate system was first found at the Port of Mobile, Alabama but is reportedly being employed at other ports. According to the ILA, these systems are in direct violation of the agreement signed with USMX and they will therefore hold out on meeting with USMX until the Auto Gate issues are resolved. There is also a pending audit of the jobs created by new technology which the ILA has been waiting on for almost two contract periods. The union is concerned with the increased number of IT personnel seen at marine terminals which points to potential encroachment on their jurisdiction. The ILA sees automation as one of the largest threats to jobs for their members, signifying why they are acutely mindful of any potential automation implementations.
REQUIREMENTS TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS
The ILA has stated there are multiple issues which need resolution before negotiations will resume. With the current agreement expiring in September 2024, there is little belief on either side that the issues will be addressed in time. ILA President Harold Daggett made it clear in a November 2023 press release that members should be prepared for a potential coast-wide strike if a new agreement is not reached by the September deadline. Other unions such as the International Dockworkers Council (IDC) and its members have expressed their support of the ILA amid the contract dispute.
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