Dockworkers demonstrate Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at Maher Terminals in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association went on strike from Texas to Maine after the union failed to reach a new contract agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance over wages and automation. Tens of thousands of workers on strike could snarl supply chains, just a month ahead of the U.S. presidential election. (Mark J. Bonamo for New Jersey Monitor/States Newsroom)
ELIZABETH, N.J. — Tens of thousands of dockworkers went on strike from Texas to Maine on Tuesday to demand higher wages and a ban on all automation at ports in a move that could snarl supply chains only a month ahead of the presidential election.
The International Longshoremen’s Association union and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents employers in the longshore industry, were unable to reach a new contract agreement. This is the union’s first strike since 1977, when dockworkers stopped work for several weeks.