Laura Curtis of Bloomberg reports that U.S. dockworkers and employers will resume contract talks on January 7, as a potential strike threatens major East and Gulf Coast ports. The key issue is the use of semi-automated machines at terminals, with union leaders opposing automation due to job security concerns. A deal on wages was reached in October, but the technology dispute remains unresolved, and a strike could occur if no agreement is reached by January 15. Curtis writes:
Leaders from a US dockworkers’ union and the group that represents their employers are set to resume contract talks on Jan. 7 as the threat of a strike looms, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Facing a mid-January deadline to reach a deal, Tuesday’s planned talks are a welcome sign for importers and exporters bracing for a labor disruption that would shut every major port on the US East and Gulf coasts. Those gateways account for roughly half of all the country’s container volumes, according to data compiled by the American Association of Port Authorities.
But the issue of whether employers will be allowed to add semi-automated machines to port terminals under the next labor contract may once again prove difficult to resolve.[…]President-elect Donald Trump, whose inauguration is set for Jan. 20, has voiced his support for dockworkers in their fight against automated machinery.
The USMX maintains the technology at issue does not harm longshore employment, and such modernization is necessary to keep US ports — and the broader economy — competitive.
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