AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: “The fight for a fair contract for longshoremen is the entire labor movement’s fight.”
(Washington, D.C.)—In a new letter today, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called on House Republicans to stand with workers by not interfering in the contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), after the House majority called on the White House “to utilize every authority at its disposal to ensure the continuing flow of goods,” if the ILA members’ contract expires without a deal on Oct. 1.
In the letter, sent on behalf of the nation’s largest labor federation representing 60 unions and nearly 13 million members, Shuler reminds members of Congress of the basic fairness that workers are fighting for in this contract: “ILA members are seeking to make up for years of small or even zero wage increases from the carriers. Like all other workers, longshoremen need raises just to keep up with the cost of living…they need fair contract provisions that protect their jobs from being eliminated by automation.”
The lawmakers had previously invoked the economic disruption that a strike at ports on the East and Gulf Coasts would cause—but as the AFL-CIO letter reminds them, “when companies can count on an injunction against a strike, they do not negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement. By even suggesting a possible injunction, your letter makes a deal less likely and a strike all the more likely.”
Denying ILA members’ right to fight for a fair contract also ignores the sacrifices these workers have already made to keep the American economy moving. As Shuler writes: “Throughout the pandemic, longshore workers never took a day off, risking their health and lives to make sure shelves were stocked and the supply chain remained strong….It adds insult to injury to encourage USMX to provoke a strike rather than agree to a fair contract for the workers who kept food on the table and our economy running through the darkest days of the COVID-19 crisis.”
“...Averting a strike is the responsibility of the employers who refuse to offer ILA members a contract that reflects the dignity and value of their labor. The fight for a fair contract for longshoremen is the entire labor movement’s fight. We stand united with the 45,000 ILA members who work hard every day to keep our nation’s economy moving,” Shuler emphasizes, urging the lawmakers to call on USMX to return to the bargaining table to settle the negotiation with a fair offer worthy of the workers and their labor.
Contact: Mia Jacobs, 202-637-5018