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In Elizabeth, NJ, the strike began on Tuesday, Oct. 1 outside Maher Terminal where hundreds of dockworkers rallied.
CBS News, citing the Port Authority of NY and NJ, said most operations have been shut down due to the strike. Daily Voice has reached out the Port Authority for comment.
The Port Authority said it has been working closely with the commercial trucking industry to ensure cargo containing essential goods, medical supplies, and food products that have already been offloaded are moved out of port facilities to their final destinations.
The International Longshoremen's Association originally demanded a $5 per hour annual increase in wages from the United States Maritime Alliance. The union is also concerned about the impact automation could have on their jobs.
The United States Maritime Alliance said in a statement it had offered a $2.50 an hour annual increase in wages. In an interview on CNBC Tuesday, ILA President Harold Daggett said the union was now demanding a $4 an hour annual increase in wages.
Longshoremen on the East and Gulf Coasts earn a top rate of $39/an hour.
Trade experts told the New York Times while a short strike would cause little damage, a long-term strike could lead to shortages of goods, higher prices and even layoffs.
President Joe Biden issued a statement supporting the strike and called on the United States Maritime Alliance to make a fair offer.
"Ocean carriers have made record profits since the pandemic and in some cases profits grew in excess of 800 percent compared to their profits prior to the pandemic," Biden said. "Executive compensation has grown in line with those profits and profits have been returned to shareholders at record rates. It’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their wages as well."
Biden said the administration plans to monitor to ensure there is no price gouging in the wake of the strike.
"It is time for USMX to negotiate a fair contract with the longshoremen that reflects the substantial contribution they’ve been making to our economic comeback," Biden said.
The last strike in 1977 lasted six weeks.
Another strike is ongoing on the Gulf Coast, its first coastwide strike in 50 years.
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