Current:Home > MyLongshoremen from Maine to Texas appear likely to go on strike, seaport CEO says-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Longshoremen from Maine to Texas appear likely to go on strike, seaport CEO says
View Date:2024-12-23 22:31:42
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The chief executive over Georgia’s two booming seaports said Tuesday that a strike next week by dockworkers across the U.S. East and Gulf coasts appears likely, though he’s hopeful the resulting shutdown would last only a few days.
“We should probably expect there to be a work stoppage and we shouldn’t get surprised if there is one,” Griff Lynch, CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, told The Associated Press in an interview. “The question is: How long?”
U.S. ports from Maine to Texas are preparing for a potential shutdown in a week, when the union representing 45,000 dockworkers in that region has threatened to strike starting Oct. 1. That’s when the contract expires between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports. Negotiations on a new contract halted in June.
A strike would shut down 36 ports that handle roughly half the nations’ cargo from ships. Lynch oversees two of the busiest in Georgia. The Port of Savannah ranks No. 4 in the U.S. for container cargo that includes retail goods ranging from consumer electronics to frozen chickens. The Port of Brunswick is America’s second-busiest for automobiles.
Lynch said he’s holding out hope that a strike can be averted, though he added: “The stark reality is they are not talking right now.” Represented by the maritime alliance, the Georgia Ports Authority has no direct role in negotiating.
As for how long a strike might last, “no one really knows for sure,” said Lynch, Georgia’s top ports executive since 2016 and a three-decade veteran of the maritime industry. “I would think we should expect four to five days, and hopefully not beyond that.”
Businesses have been preparing for a potential strike for months, importing extra inventory to fill their warehouses. Lynch said that’s one reason container volumes in Savannah increased 13.7% in July and August compared to the same period a year ago.
Georgia dockworkers are putting in extra hours trying to ensure ships get unloaded and return to sea before next Tuesday’s deadline. Truck gates at the Port of Savannah, normally closed on Sundays, will be open throughout this weekend.
At the Georgia Ports Authority’s monthly board meeting Tuesday, Lynch praised the roughly 2,000 union workers responsible for loading and unloading ships in Savannah and Brunswick, saying “they have done great work” ahead of a possible strike. He said the ports would keep operating until the last minute.
“We’re seeing phenomenal productivity out of them right now,” he said. “You wouldn’t know this was going to happen if you hadn’t been told.”
There hasn’t been a national longshoremen’s strike in the U.S. since 1977. Experts say a strike of even a few weeks probably wouldn’t result in any major shortages of retail goods, though it would still cause disruptions as shippers reroute cargo to West Coast ports. Lynch and other experts say every day of a port strike could take up to a week to clear up once union workers return to their jobs.
A prolonged strike would almost certainly hurt the U.S. economy.
The maritime alliance said Monday it has been contacted by the U.S. Labor Department and is open to working with federal mediators. The union’s president, Harold Daggett, said in a statement his members are ready to strike over what he called an unacceptable “low-ball wage package.”
“We’re hopeful that they’ll get it worked out,” said Kent Fountain, the Georgia Ports Authority’s board chairman. “But if not, we’re going to do everything we can to make it as seamless as possible and as easy as it could possibly be on our customers and team members.”
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Champions Classic is for elite teams. So why is Michigan State still here? | Opinion
- American Airlines and JetBlue must end partnership in the northeast U.S., judge rules
- Can Wolves and Beavers Help Save the West From Global Warming?
- Kia and Hyundai agree to $200M settlement over car thefts
- Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be
- California Climate Measure Fails After ‘Green’ Governor Opposed It in a Campaign Supporters Called ‘Misleading’
- Biden’s Been in Office for More Than 500 Days. He Still Hasn’t Appointed a Top Official to Oversee Coal Mine Reclamation
- In Georgia, Bloated Costs Take Over a Nuclear Power Plant and a Fight Looms Over Who Pays
- Rita Ora Says Liam Payne “Left Such a Mark on This World” in Emotional Tribute
- The man who busted the inflation-employment myth
Ranking
- Trump breaks GOP losing streak in nation’s largest majority-Arab city with a pivotal final week
- From the Middle East to East Baltimore, a Johns Hopkins Professor Works to Make the City More Climate-Resilient
- Q&A: Eliza Griswold Reflects on the Lessons of ‘Amity and Prosperity,’ Her Deep Dive Into Fracking in Southwest Pennsylvania
- Score Up to 60% Off On Good American Jeans, Dresses, and More At Nordstrom Rack
- New Jersey will issue a drought warning after driest October ever and as wildfires rage
- Keke Palmer's Boyfriend Darius Jackson Defends Himself for Calling Out Her Booty Cheeks Outfit
- Red, White and Royal Blue Trailer: You’ll Bow Down to This Steamy Romance
- Kyra Sedgwick Serves Up the Secret Recipe to Her and Kevin Bacon's 35-Year Marriage
Recommendation
-
Wicked Director Jon M. Chu Reveals Name of Baby Daughter After Missing Film's LA Premiere for Her Birth
-
Why RHOA's Phaedra Parks Gave Son Ayden $150,000 for His 13th Birthday
-
The IRS is building its own online tax filing system. Tax-prep companies aren't happy
-
Overwhelmed by Solar Projects, the Nation’s Largest Grid Operator Seeks a Two-Year Pause on Approvals
-
Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
-
Elon Musk says 'I've hired a new CEO' for Twitter
-
Light a Sparkler for These Stars Who Got Married on the 4th of July
-
Kate Middleton Turns Heads in Royal Blue at King Charles III's Scottish Coronation Ceremony