AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement as some 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began a work stoppage at the ports along the East and Gulf Coasts as companies refused to pay workers their fair share:
(Washington, D.C.)—The longshoremen’s fight for a fair contract is the entire labor movement’s fight. As 45,000 members of the ILA strike for a fair contract today, the AFL-CIO and our nearly 13 million members from 60 unions are proud to stand in strong solidarity with them.
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. Meanwhile, the shipping companies raked in $400 billion in profit from 2020 to 2023. The carriers can more than afford to share that wealth with the ILA members who worked night and day to make it possible—particularly when those members have gone years with small or even zero wage increases. Like all other workers, longshoremen need raises to keep up with the cost of living from corporate greedflation, and they need fair contract provisions that protect their jobs from being eliminated by automation.
It’s simple: USMX holds the power to end this strike. To keep the economy moving, the carriers need to do right by the workers who move the economy. The U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) can end this whenever it wants with a contract offer that does right by these workers.
Contact: Mia Jacobs, 202-637-5018