The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) announced this weekend that the workers' strike will be effective as of tomorrow at midnight. 

The information was released in a statement, indicating that, within hours of the end of the contract between the ILA and USMX, the 85,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association, who will be joined in solidarity by tens of thousands of longshoremen and maritime workers around the world, will strike at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at all ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Maine to Texas.

“The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation in which ocean carriers' profits soared from millions to megamillions of dollars, while ILA longshoremen's wages remained flat,” they noted from the union.

The deadline that the ILA gave the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to resolve wage demands and the terminal automation project ends today, on Monday, September 30.

The strike will affect container traffic at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports. Some ports involved are Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Hampton Roads, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Mobile, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Savannah, Tampa, and Wilmington.

The strike would impact 43% of all U.S. imports, including fruit shipments and billions in monthly trade. It is estimated that the strike could cost the economy some US$5 billion per day.

There is even talk in the local press of shortages in local supermarkets.

For the time being, no negotiations have been scheduled and this would be the first strike of the union since 1977, the year in which it stopped work for 45 days.

World Cargo News reported that the ILA plans to provide more information to the public and the media today at 11 am (local time).

The stoppage would not affect military cargo shipments or cruise ship traffic.

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