As a result of the strike, British Columbia shut down its ports fully, which meant locking out around 7500 other ILWU members from their jobs at the ports and was estimated to cost around $800 million Canadian dollars ($576 million U.S.) per day.

The Local 514 members have been working with no contract since 2023. Two major issues in negotiations have been the threat of automation at the ports, which costs many longshoremen their jobs, as well as fighting for a secure retirement. After negotiations failed to reach a deal that addressed their concerns, the longshoremen voted by 99% to authorize and began their strike on November 4.

Earlier in 2024, Longshoremen members on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts struck in September over similar issues – automation and for significant pay increases. That strike resulted in a partial tentative agreement that would see a $24 per hour pay increase over the length of their contract. However, the East and Gulf coast workers did not reach an agreement around automation. The pay increases are dependent on reaching an overall deal.

On November 12, the ninth day of the strike in British Columbia, the Canadian government announced it will take away the workers’ right to decide for themselves whether to work or continue the strike. It ordered the port reopened and forced both sides into binding arbitration to settle the contract. Arbitration often ends with arbitrators settling deals that are more favorable to management than what the workers would be willing to settle for.

On October 31, around 1200 Longshoremen in Montreal, Canada began a strike, and on November 11 were similarly locked out as part of a strike there. The government order also reopens those ports and forces the Montreal workers into arbitration along with the British Columbia workers.

In 2023, Canada’s other Longshoremen locals settled deals after a 13-day strike. The 13-day strike came after the previous contract had similarly been dealt with by the Canadian government, leaving longshoremen dissatisfied and ready to build towards their 2023 strike.

The ILWU says it plans to fight the order in court. What happens next remains to be seen.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Canada #Labor #ILWU #Strike #Longshoremen

The tentative agreement only pertains to wages and not to other language that the union members have been fighting for, like language to protect their jobs from automation. Because the agreement is only partial, the union suspended the strike effective immediately but set a date of January 15 to resume the strike if no agreement is reached to finalize the contract by then.

The ports management had previously offered around 50% in wage increases over a six-year contract. This 50% offer comes after years of wages that did not keep up with rising profits by the port owners, which grew exponentially during and since the pandemic. After three days facing a strike – which was estimated to cost as much as $5 billion for every day it continued – ports management came back to the table with a new offer which is reported to include 62% in increases over the six year period.

The strike was also due to concerns over automation coming to the 36 ports at which ILA represents from the Gulf Coast and along the East Coast up to Maine. The ILA is fighting for language to protect the workers’ jobs form being replaced through automation. That fight continues even as the union suspends its strike and tentatively agrees to a framework for wages.

While a tentative wage agreement has been reached, the union did not end its strike, it simply suspended it until January 15 to give the union members and the ports time to negotiate over the remaining issues on the table. Strike activity could resume as early as January 15 if a full deal is not reached by then. Any deal that is reached will need to be voted on by the ILA members as part of a full contract deal.

#NewYorkNY #NY #Labor #ILA #strike #longshoremen #dockworkers

New Orleans, LA – At 12 a.m. on October 1, hundreds of longshoremen, clerks and mechanics started picketing at the corner of Felicity and Tchoupitoulas Streets, the entryway for trucks going to the docks. They stopped work with 85,000 workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), at ports from Maine to Texas. The main reasons for the strike were the threat of automation stealing jobs, as well as asking for significant raises.

Port workers have been working on the same contract since before COVID-19, despite significant increases in the cost of living.

“Do you know how many people I've seen die out here? We were the front line of COVID, interacting with people from all over the world, many of whom didn't have access to the vaccine. And they want to reward us for that with a bus ticket to the fucking unemployment office,” said one worker on the picket line.

The mood was militant, and spirits were high, as port workers joked with their union officers about escalating the action to blocking streets. Tents and chairs were set up quickly as the workers attended the picket line in six-hour shifts to hold the line 24/7. One longshoreman said, “We're all American workers who don't want to see the country fall to the one guy at the top of the pyramid. Robots don't pay taxes, they don't feed families, the money they make doesn't go back into the economy. It just goes straight to the top.”

When another was asked if they wanted to strike, he said “We have no choice. If we wait another six years, there won't be any more jobs to fight for.”

Port workers stayed on strike for over 60 hours until the union negotiators and the US Maritime Alliance reached a tentative agreement on wage increases, allowing work to continue until January 15. According to some sources, this shutdown cost the U.S. economy over $10 billion. Although the wage issue was settled, there have been no reports of any tentative agreement on automation, one of the main demands of the strike.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Labor #ILA #Strike #Longshoremen

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., about 40 longshoremen and their supporters began their picket line outside the Port of Tampa. The International Longshoremen Association Locals 1691 and 1804 are among the 50,000 South and Gulf Coast longshoremen on strike.

The strike started after two years of bargaining with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) did not lead to a contract that the ILA could accept. The main disagreement was over automation in the industry. The ILA wants full preservation of historic jobs and will not accept full or semi-automated replacement of workers. Longshoremen are also demanding wages that account for inflation.

“Employers push automation under the guise of safety, but it is really about cutting labor costs to increase their already exponentially high profits. As the last six years have demonstrated, automation cannot outperform the skilled men and women of the ILA,” said Nick DeFresco, president of ILA Local 1691.

The companies that make up USMX report billions of dollars of profit per year.

The longshoremen held signs reading, “ILA workers over machines: Defend our jobs and rights” and chanted “ILA all the way!”

“The ILA will continue to fight until the members receive a fair contract that they deserve,” said DeFresco.

#TampaFL #FL #Labor #Longshoremen #ILA #Strike