Strikes at ports in the eastern United States escalate, and strikes break out at German ports

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Recently, the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) in the East US Gulf held a two-day salary standards representative meeting to review the main contract requirements proposed by the union to the American Maritime Alliance and discuss if the current six-year agreement will be implemented on September 30. If a new agreement is not reached before expiration, the union will implement strike action. At present, ILA and its employer, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), have not yet returned to the main contract negotiation table.

Harold Daggett, president of the East Longshore Union, issued a public statement threatening to organize strike action if an agreement is not reached by 0:01 on October 1. On September 5, 2024, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) wage scale delegation concluded contract negotiation discussions and unanimously supported the call for a strike on October 1. Nearly 300 International Longshoremen’s Association wage grade representatives unanimously support a strike plan proposed by ILA International President Harold Daggett in 2024 if a new agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) is not reached by then. A general strike began on October 1 at all ports from Maine to Texas. Dennis A. Daggett, ILA executive vice president and son of Chairman Harold Daggett, detailed the strike mobilization plan. He said: "Brothers and sisters, it will be a big thing if we are unable to sign a new main contract before the current contract expires in three weeks and four days. We have to be ready, if necessary, in 2024 Take to the streets at 0:01 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1st.”

Harold Daggett spoke of his vision to form a global union of dockworkers and seafarers, outside of current contract negotiations. He wants to fight automation on a global scale.

The ISCO strike will have a significant economic impact on the United States. Maritime intelligence analysts estimate that U.S. East Coast ports will handle 2.3 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in October. This is equivalent to 74,000 containers per day. Based on MDS Transmodal's estimated price of ,000 per box, the average daily value of these shipments is as much as .7 billion. Sea-Intelligence estimates that the one-day strike by the International Shipping Association will take five days to subside. A week-long strike in October could slow shipping until mid-November.

In addition, the German Port of Hamburg once again fell into a large-scale strike on September 4, local time. This strike was initiated by Hamburg Port workers to strive for more favorable wage contract terms.

Verdi, the main union representing workers at the Port of Hamburg, has officially announced that it will conduct a new round of work from the first shift starting at 7 a.m. on September 4 to the end of the night shift at 7 a.m. the next day, September 5. Warning strike. According to the announcement, during the strike, all terminals owned by Hamburg Port and Logistics AG (HHLA) will completely stop all loading and unloading operations, including rail and truck transportation services. More importantly, even if the strike ends, work may not resume immediately, further exacerbating the uncertainty of cargo transportation.

It is worth noting that this is not the first strike action at the Port of Hamburg in recent times. There was a similar incident last Friday, and what is reflected behind the strike is the profound contradiction between the measures taken by HHLA to improve terminal efficiency and the demands of workers. The Verdi union made it clear in its statement that it is working to reach a broad social collective agreement aimed at protecting employees from the social and health impacts that the company's restructuring plan may bring.

Global freight forwarding giant KuehneNagel has issued an early warning on its official website, emphasizing that a new round of strikes by Hamburg port workers will have a significant impact on the logistics chain. In view of the fact that strikes have occurred frequently in many major ports in Germany in recent months, and the current negotiation deadlock has not been resolved, the industry generally predicts that more strikes may still occur in the future.