Trump backs ILA position on automation

Photo: ILA

President-elect Donald J. Trump has come out firmly in support of the ILA union position as its negotiations with port employers association USMX continue to bog down over what the employers call “modernization” and the union calls automation — in particular the use of semi-automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs).

Here’s what President-elect Trump said in a social media post yesterday:

“Just finished a meeting with the International Longshoremen’s Association and its President, Harold Daggett, and Executive VP, Dennis Daggett. There has been a lot of discussion having to do with ‘automation’ on United States docks. I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt. They’ve got record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women on our docks, than machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced. In the end, there’s no gain for them, and I hope that they will understand how important an issue this is for me. For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries. It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”

In a response that studiously avoided the use if therm automation, USMX said this:

“We appreciate and value President-elect Trump’s statement on the importance of American ports. It’s clear President-elect Trump, USMX, and the ILA all share the goal of protecting and adding good-paying American jobs at our ports. But this contract goes beyond our 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.

“To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains. ILA members’ compensation increases with the more goods they move – the greater capacity our ports have and goods that are moved means more money in their pockets.

“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.”

JANUARY DEADLINE LOOMS

Both sides are bargaining as ILA members work under a temporary extension of their current master contract until Jan. 16, 2025. What happens if no agreement is reached by then remains to be seen. If USMX is looking for some sort of federal government intervention, that might not necessarily go the way it would like. The ILA was swift to praise President-elect Trump’s nomination of Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the United States Department of Labor.

“As a member of Congress, Rep. Chavez-DeRemer built a strong pro-worker record protecting their rights to organize,” ILA president Harold J. Daggett wrote President Trump in a November 24 letter in which he said the ILA would urge the Senate to approve the legislation.

Lori-