Trump’s support for ILA’s concerns over port automation spurs response from USMX

Following a meeting between President-elect Donald Trump and the International Longshormen’s Association (ILA), where Trump voiced support over social media for the union’s concerns over automation at U.S. ports, U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) said the ongoing dispute goes beyond the ports.

“It is about supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products,” USMX said in a statement.

To achieve this, USMX says modern technology is required, which it says improves worker safety, boosts port efficiency and capacity and strengthens the overall supply chain.

“We look forward to working with the president elect and the incoming administration on how our members are working to support the strength and resilience of the U.S. supply chain and making crucial investments that support ILA members and millions of workers and businesses across the entire domestic supply chain, improving efficiency and creating even more high-paying jobs for ILA members,” said USMX.

ILA says reports criticizing U.S. port efficiencies are inaccurate and misleading.

“The claims are largely based on skewed interpretations of data that fail to account for the fundamental differences between U.S. marine terminals and transshipment hubs in other parts of the world,” the union said in a release.

Using the ports of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo as examples, the ILA said these locations heavily favour transshipment hubs, which are different from U.S. ports.

“Transshipment ports primarily handle containers that are unloaded from one vessel and immediately loaded onto another, with minimal interaction with inland transportation systems or domestic cargo,” the union said. “In contrast, U.S. ports are full-service gateways that handle a complex mix of imports and exports, integrating rail, trucking and warehousing to deliver goods across a vast geography. Comparing these two types of facilities is like comparing apples to oranges.”

Negotiations between USMX and ILA over a new contract for port workers along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast broke down in mid-November after a brief period of progress.

Both sides released statements saying there was positive progress on a number of issues, but, as the ILA said, once the issue of semi-automation arose, talks reached an impasse.

The ILA shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01a.m. Oct. 1, as ILA rank-and-file members began setting up picket lines at waterfront facilities up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

The ILA rejected a USMX proposal made Sept. 30, setting the stage for the first ILA coast wide strike in almost 50 years.

The two sides then released a statement Oct. 3 saying they had reached an agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the master contract until Jan. 15, 2025, and will return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.