Roughly 45,000 port workers from Maine to Texas have started a strike Tuesday as their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), continues talks with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) for a new, “fair and decent contract.” While USA Today reports this strike at ports across the East and Gulf Coasts could cause Americans to see higher prices and product shortages this holiday season, ILA reports that at least the strike won’t impact cruise operations.
In a statement noting that the strike won’t impact ILA’s “century-plus pledge to handle all military cargo,” ILA President Harold Daggett added that the association's longshore workers will continue to work passenger cruise vessels at all ILA ports, “to not inconvenience the tens of thousands of Americans who have booked trips in advance.”
“We understand that many families plan and pay for cruises vacations on passenger ships more than a year out, and we don’t want them to be disappointed or inconvenienced in any way.” said Daggett. “For almost three years during the worst of the pandemic, the cruise ship industry was shut down, and our ILA rank-and-file members handling passenger cruise vessels lost a lot of manhours.”
In all, 36 ports will be otherwise shut down. The strike is the first such occurrence since 1977. USA Today adds that seafood, electronics, pharmaceuticals, cars and auto parts, machinery, bananas and more could be among the product most affected by ILA’s strike.
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