Harold Daggett News

More than 45,000 U.S. dockworkers represented by the International Longshoremen's Association ratified a new six-year contract on Tuesday, formalizing a deal that offers bumper pay hikes and averts any potential disruption until 2030.Terms of the contract, previously agreed upon by the labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance, included a 62% wage hike over the life of the agreement.Both the labor union and the employer group had agreed on the wages in October, putting…

Contract talks covering 45,000 dockworkers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are set to restart on Tuesday in a labor dispute that will help set the pace of automation at ports stretching from Maine to Texas.The International Longshoremen's Association wants to eliminate past labor contract concessions on automation - notably the use of semi-automated cranes that stack containers on docks - arguing they pose a threat to jobs.The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group…

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to back the anti-automation stance of some 45,000 union dockworkers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, whose labor talks are at an impasse over that polarizing issue.The ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group are facing a Jan. 15 deadline to finalize talks, which stalled over automation. That cutoff comes just five days before Trump's inauguration.The ILA says automation kills jobs while employers say it is necessary to keep U.S. ports competitive in a rapidly changing global economy."The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen," Trump said of automation projects in a post on Truth Social.

U.S. shippers are steering clear of East and Gulf Coast ports amid worries the 45,000 dockworkers at those trade hubs will go on strike again if their union leader does not land a new contract with employers by a Jan. 15 deadline.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group had ended a three-day strike in October with a tentative agreement on wages, but left the thorny issue of port automation still to be resolved."Anything we expect that we need in the back half of January…

U.S. shippers are steering clear of East and Gulf Coast ports amid worries the 45,000 dockworkers at those trade hubs will go on strike again if their union leader does not land a new contract with employers by a Jan. 15 deadline.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group had ended a three-day strike in October with a tentative agreement on wages, but left the thorny issue of port automation still to be resolved."Anything we expect that we need in the back half of January…

A strike by dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast that disrupted much of the nation's ocean shipping this week ended on Thursday, but a key issue driving labor unrest across the continent - the growing use of automation - was unresolved.Companies view automation as a path to better profit while unions see it as a job-killer. For North American dockworkers battling automation, Europe's port worker contracts may point a way to resolve the issue.Some 45,000 port workers…

A strike by 45,000 dockworkers halting shipments at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports entered its second day on Wednesday with no negotiations currently scheduled between the two sides, sources told Reuters.The lack of progress is raising concerns among those reliant on shipments that the disruption could be prolonged.The International Longshoremen's Association union strike has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, which…

President Joe Biden’s administration heaped pressure on U.S. port employers to raise their offer to secure a labor deal with dockworkers on strike for a second day on Wednesday, choking half the country’s ocean shipping.The strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, a disruption that analysts warn will cost the economy billions of dollars a day.More than 38 container vessels were already backed up at U.S.

Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast began a strike early on Tuesday, their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting the flow of about half the nation's ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs, and potentially stoke inflation.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union representing 45…

The International Longshoremen's Association union, representing 45,000 workers at major container ports from Texas to Maine, will begin two days of meetings on Wednesday to review wage demands and prepare for a potential strike on Oct. 1.Formal talks have reached an impasse as the union and the United States Maritime Alliance employer group wrangle over pay, automation, healthcare and retirement benefits.A source familiar with the negotiations said the ILA has asked for a 77% pay bump over the life of the new contract.

Labor talks at U.S. ports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are a looming risk for retailers, manufacturers and other shippers already grappling with longer transit times and higher costs.The International Longshoremen's Association contract covering 45,000 dockworkers at three dozen ports stretching from Maine to Texas expires on Sept. 30. If there is no deal by then, the union could call a strike that would hit during the vital holiday container shipping season and labor-friendly U.S.

The P3 agreement between Maersk, MSC, and CGM CMA continues to roil the waters. While the agreement’s pros-and cons are about to be scrutinized in an upcoming meeting between America’s Federal Maritime Commission, the European Competition Commission, and China’s Ministry of Transport, carriers outside the P3 are aggressively taking steps to stay competitive regardless of the regulators final decision. Hapag-Lloyd and CSAV announced 5 December they have been holding discussions on the possibility of merger or some other form of co-operation.

Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen on negotiations between United States Maritime Alliance & the International Longshoreman's Association. "I am extremely pleased to announce that today the parties have approved their tentative agreement for a successor Master Agreement. In doing so, the parties have successfully concluded lengthy, complex and understandably sometimes contentious negotiations concerning a multitude of economic and job related issues. "This monumental result, which will be submitted to their respective memberships for ratification, paves the way for six years of stable labor-management relations covering all the Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports.

Statement by FMCS Director George H. "The container royalty payment issue has been agreed upon in principle by the parties, subject to achieving an overall collective bargaining agreement. The parties have further agreed to an additional extension of 30 days (i.e., until midnight, January 28, 2013) during which time the parties shall negotiate all remaining outstanding Master Agreement issues, including those relating to New York and New Jersey. "Given that negotiations will be continuing and consistent with the Agency's commitment of confidentiality to the parties, FMCS shall not disclose the substance of the container royalty payment agreement.

The vote by the ILA's 200-member wage scale committee moves East and Gulf coast ports closer to their first coast wide strike in 35 years. The International Longshoremen's Association President Harold Daggett has been authorized by ILA delegates to call a strike if bargaining impasse not settled before the union's contract expires December 29, 2012. An ILA strike would affect container and roll-on, roll-off cargo covered by the ILA-USMX coast wide master contract. The ILA would continue to work breakbulk cargo and cruise lines that employ ILA labor but are not covered by the master contract. Perishables and military cargo also would be exempt.

The ILWU and ILA recently met in Washington, D.C.: first item on agenda was report on progress of East Coast USA contract negotiations. The meeting was attended also by ITF President and Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) National Secretary Paddy Crumlin and ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton. The first item of business was a report from ILA President Harold Daggett on the progress of the New East Coast contract, particularly on the outcome of negotiations on the introduction of automation to the terminals covered under the contract. The ILA President reported that job security for displaced ILA members, including retraining into new maintenance jobs, was central to any agreed outcome.

Possible ports shutdown at the end of September to be addressed at upcoming Inland Port Logistics Conference informs UBM Global Trade. Current longshore labor negotiations are a hot issue being closely followed by the shipping industry in the U.S. and globally. The Journal of Commerce announce that it will add a session to the agenda of its Inland Port Logistics Conference, Sept 5-6, in Oak Brook, IL, covering this volatile and unpredictable negotiation that impacts everyone from railroads to third-party logistics providers to beneficial cargo owners. Responding to the recent breakdown in talks between the International Longshoremen's Association and United States Maritime Alliance…

The National Retail Federation (NRF) say they will have to divert cargo elsewhere in a matter of days unless stand-off ends. “We understand and recognize that there are tough issues that need to be resolved,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “The issue will only be resolved, however, by agreeing to stay at the negotiating table until a final deal is reached. Failure to reach agreement will lead to supply chain disruptions which could seriously harm the U.S. “We are facing a critical time,” Shay said, noting that some retailers have already enacted contingency plans to ensure that holiday merchandise will reach store shelves in time.

Stalled contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association and United States Maritime Alliance are scheduled to resume this week, but many shippers are preparing for the worst this fall, according to an online poll by 'The Journal of Commerce'. More than 75 percent of respondents consider labor disruption at East and Gulf Coast ports likely, and 68.1 percent have contingency plans in place to divert cargo. The ILA has not had a coastwide strike since 1977, but many shippers became concerned after a heated panel discussion between ILA President Harold Daggett and USMX president James Capo at The Journal of Commerce's TPM conference in March. Apprehension has increased over the last few months as both sides released statements about ongoing negotiation difficulties.