A Port Strike Is Looming, And Biden-Harris Are Lost At Sea
The truth is Joe Biden has never been all there, but since the Democrats have shown sleepy Joe the door, he has completely evaporated. This proves a point I have made since the puppet was placed in office: he was never in charge; others were always pulling the strings, and his vanishing act proves it. Biden was nothing but a stumbling, bumbling frontman. Hell, nobody even misses him. Does anyone even remember that he still has the title of president?
That said, there are still decisions to be made, and a potentially large one is looming on the horizon. Dockworkers are threatening to strike if an agreement isn’t reached by October 1st. As that deadline gets closer, authorities will be preparing for shutdowns along the East Coast and Gulf Coast.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is “working with partners across the supply chain to prepare for any potential impacts” resulting from a potential work stoppage by workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). They are currently negotiating with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). Information that a Port Authority spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday.
“We urge both sides to find common ground and keep the cargo flowing for the good of the national economy.” He added that $240 billion in goods move through the two ports each year and that such trade supports more than 600,000 local jobs.
How bad would a strike be? Disastrous isn’t too strong of a word. The union has stated that a strike could impact ports from Maine to Texas, potentially involving up to 45,000 workers at ports that handle about 60 percent of U.S. shipping traffic. According to a report by Oxford Economics, this could lead to a significant disruption in shipments.
The ILA has threatened to go on strike if a new labor agreement with East Coast port terminal and shipping companies, represented by the USMX, is not reached by the time the current contract expires on October 1.
“There will be a shutdown at midnight on Monday the 30th, assuming that there is no intervention,” said Bethann Rooney, director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the nation’s second-busiest port, during a briefing earlier in the week.
If that happens, all loading and unloading of cargo containers and automobiles would stop. Cruise ships would not be affected. The Port Authority is not directly involved in the negotiations between the ILA and USMX. Instead, it leases space at the ports to shipping companies. According to Rooney, terminal operators and ocean carriers are “working to bring in as many ships as possible” in anticipation of a potential walkout.
Rooney added that they are “working with truckers and the rail carriers to get as much cargo out as humanly possible, as quickly as possible.” Rooney explained that the two ports are currently unloading about 20 large container ships a week and expect 150,000 containers to be emptied before the strike deadline.
“At the same time, ocean carriers are beginning to put essentially embargoes on export cargo “so that it doesn’t come into East and Gulf coast ports and then wind up sitting there,” she said.
If the strike occurs, container ships carrying imports destined for Newark and Elizabeth in New Jersey and Staten Island in New York City will be moored at designated locations in New York Harbor or off the coast. Alternatively, they may remain at sea until they are able to enter the port. Once the strike is over, the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will supervise the arrival of these ships at the port facilities.
Part of the issue involves AI raising its ugly head again. The ILA union left the bargaining table in June, claiming that a new automation system at the Port of Mobile in Alabama violated the existing contract.
Based in North Bergen, New Jersey, the ILA represents 85,000 workers across the East and Gulf Coasts. The union is demanding substantial wage increases for its members and protection from job-killing automation.
The USMX has stated that it has been unable to schedule new bargaining sessions with the union.
“It is disappointing that we have reached this point where the ILA is unwilling to reopen dialogue unless all of its demands are met,” USMX said in an update on Tuesday. “The only way to resolve this impasse is to resume negotiations, which we are willing to do at any time.”
A strike would shut down five of North America’s ten busiest ports and 36 ports in total along the East and Gulf Coasts, causing massive supply chain issues. Depending on how long the strike lasts, this would impact consumers well past Election Day and into the holiday season. If the supply chain is disrupted, resulting in scarcities, we are likely to see another nasty bout of inflation just as families are trying to recover from the nearly 20 percent spike in prices since Biden took office.
The Biden administration has the authority to prevent strikes that could jeopardize national security or significantly impact the economy. However, the White House has stated that it will not interfere in a dock worker strike and is urging both parties to return to the negotiating table.
The ports that will be impacted handle almost half of all U.S. imports and billions of dollars in trade monthly. The consequential effects on supply chains in Europe, Asia, and Latin America would also be substantial.
Last week, a group of House Republicans on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wrote to President Biden, urging his administration to do everything in its power to prevent a strike that could lead to “dire impacts to our supply chains, our economy, and the American consumer.”
It’s unclear why Biden won’t intervene. Some speculate that he is unwilling to go out of his way to help Harris after Democrats bounced him as a candidate. Others believe he is courting the dock worker union at a time when the union vote is not going well for Democrats.
Whatever the reason, this appears to be another case of this administration mishandling a precarious situation. Industry insiders say that even a one-day strike could take a week to recover from. A strike lasting a week would require several weeks of catch-up work, and the effects of a strike lasting several weeks would be felt well into 2025. Meanwhile, retailers would experience shortages throughout the holiday shopping season, their busiest time.
This administration constantly displays a frightening blend of incompetence, stupidity, arrogance, and thoughtlessness toward the American people. They lack intelligence and empathy, resulting in a nightmare for the country. They are hatefully divisive, and thankfully, their reign of terror will end in November. Then, normalcy can begin to re-enter American society.
