Longshoreman Strike 10-3-24

Port workers earn some of the highest wages among blue-collar workers. Under the current contract with the East Coast union, a top-scale longshoreman could earn up to $39 an hour, which translates to about $81,000 a year. But many workers take overtime and extra shifts that have higher rates. 

East and Gulf Coast longshoremen with six or more years of experience earn $39 per hour, up 11% since the start of the expiring six-year contract, the New York Times reported. Inflation is at 24% over that period.

The ILA is asking for a $5-an-hour raise for each of the six years of the new contract, which means the hourly rate could reach $69 by 2030. The union is also asking for better benefits and is opposing the use of automated technologies at ports.

$39  6 yrs Exp % Inc   Year

$44  year 1    12.8     2025

$49  year 2    11.36   2026

$54  year 3    10.2     2027

$59 year 4     9.26    2028

$64 year 5     8.47    2029

$69 year 6    7.81     2030

The International Longshoremen's Association is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks that are used in the loading or unloading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Those ports handle roughly half of the nations' cargo from ships.

West Coast longshore workers with 6 years experience make nearly $55 an hour. This puts their annual salaries to $114,400.

– Aug. 31, 2023 – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) today announced the ratification of a six-year contract between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).Aug 31, 2023

The dockworkers, representing more than 22,000 workers at all 29 West Coast ports, voted 75 percent in favor of approving the new 6-year agreement that will expire on July 1, 2028. The new agreement includes updates to health benefits and improvements to wages, pensions, and safety protections, according to the ILWU.Sep 1, 2023

As of Sep 24, 2024, the average hourly pay for the Ilwu jobs category in Los Angeles is $25.73 an hour.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly rates as high as $64.90 and as low as $9.34, the majority of salaries within the ILWU jobs category currently range between $15.91 (25th percentile) to $32.32 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making annually in Los Angeles.

East and Gulf Coast longshoremen with six or more years of experience earn $39 per hour, up 11% since the start of the expiring six-year contract, the New York Times reported. Inflation is at 24% over that period. West Coast longshore workers with 6 years experience make nearly $55 an hour.

A crane operation automation system uses real-time data and positioning systems to improve the safety, efficiency, and productivity of crane operations: 

Safety: Automation can reduce the risk of injury to workers by removing them from hazardous areas and allowing them to control cranes remotely. It can also prevent collisions by establishing no-fly zones and off-center pick prevention. 

Efficiency: Automation can increase cycle time for time-sensitive tasks and ensure the accuracy of expensive product placement. It can also help operators complete other tasks by automating repetitive tasks. 

Productivity: Automation can improve operational efficiency by providing real-time data to help with maintenance planning, equipment failure prediction, and operator training. 

Cost savings: Automation can reduce labor and production costs, as well as lower capital and equipment costs. 

Automation systems can be fully automated or semi-automated. Fully automated systems perform the entire operation without operator assistance, while semi-automated systems allow the operator to perform some parts of the operation. 

Comments

The answer to supply chain problems is for the US to re-shore the production of all that we consume. That will reduce what is received on the Docks and increase what is shipped by barge, rail, truck and pipeline. Pay scales are usually higher in high cost of living cities. The highest pay rates for Longshoremen go to the highly skilled crane operators. The other dock workers pay looks more normal. The strike would affect tropical fruit imports like bananas. This strike is aimed at slowing automation and could be settled with the Union agreeing to semi-automation to allow crane operator to remotely operate the cranes.

Mexico counts many major ports on both of its coasts, like the Port of Veracruz and the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, and also a large highway network that connects important industrial areas to the U.S. border, Mexico an ideal partner for goods moving globally efficiently and fast. US imports and exports can be trucked to and from ports in Mexico to bypass the strike.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader