US Dockworkers Strike to Stop Automation Already Seen at Other Ports
Maritime trade gateways in Europe and Asia have already automated many tasks.
Workers picket outside of the APM container terminal at the Port of Newark in Newark, New Jersey, on Oct. 1.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/BloombergLongshoremen at docks along the US East and Gulf coasts have gone on strike for the first time since 1977 as the union takes a hardline stance against automation found at other ports around the world.
The International Longshoreman’s Association halted negotiations in June with the US Maritime Alliance, a group representing port operators and ocean carriers. The union said an Alabama port operator’s use of new gate technology that scans and processes containers without worker involvement violated their existing contract. The ILA said it wouldn’t return to the bargaining table until the “issue is resolved,” idling some 45,000 dockworkers who are also pressing for higher wages.