Dockworkers Paused at East & Gulf Coast Ports: Who’s On Strike in the U.S.?
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Updated on Oct. 4.
Dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts.
A dockworkers strike that threatened to cause shortages and price hikes was paused on Thursday after the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) offered wage increases over a new six-year contract. Negotiations will continue between USMX and the International Longshoremen’s Association AFL-CIO on some of the workers’ other demands including protections against automation.
The workers went on strike at 36 U.S. ports on the East and Gulf coasts Tuesday as negotiations between the ILA and the USMX failed to reach a deal by the strike deadline. The workers’ current contract, which expired Sept. 30 will be extended until Jan. 15. It covers 25,000 port workers, according to USMX. It was the first dockworkers strike on the East Coast since 1977.
The tentative agreement will include a 62% wage increase over the course of the new contract — initially the ILA asked for a 77% increase. The ILA is also demanding higher starting wages, improvements to health care and retirement benefits, as well as automation job protections.
The ports handle nearly half of all U.S. import and export cargo. The strike threatened to significantly stymie trade flows and, if it went on long enough, could have eventually resulted in shortages and higher prices across the U.S.
Boeing workers. An estimated 33,000 Boeing employees in Oregon and Washington walked off the job on Sept. 13 after members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 rejected a tentative deal between union leadership and the company. According to Boeing, the proposed new four-year contract would include a 25% raise over the life of the deal and other concessions. The union had been seeking raises of 40%. The previous contract expired Sept. 12.
As of Oct. 4, there have been 253 labor actions in the U.S. in 379 locations in 2024, according to the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) Labor Action Tracker.
Going on strike means workers withhold labor from their employer in order to gain leverage to bargain for things like higher compensation and benefits, more protections, as well as improved working conditions. Workers don’t have to be part of a union to strike, but unions often organize and authorize strikes, as well as represent workers in negotiations.
» MORE: What is a strike?
More strikes are expected in the days to come. Here are some of the recent major strikes in the U.S.
Graduate student worker strikes in 2024
» MORE: How to survive a strike
Recent strikes in the U.S.
Striking worker totals increased by 141% in 2023
Strike activity has spiked over the last couple of years: Work stoppages increased 50% in 2022 compared to 2021, the IRL analysis of 2022 data shows. The uptick was smaller from 2022 to 2023 — a 9% increase — but the number of workers in work stoppages increased by 141% during that period.
The increase was mainly due to four large strikes that accounted for 65% of all workers who went on strike last year. The biggest strikes were held by SAG-AFTRA, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, Los Angeles Unified School District workers and the UAW.
Here are some of the key findings from the 2023 Labor Action Report from ILR.
Work stoppage totals: There were 470 work stoppages in 2023, including 466 strikes and four lockouts. In total, approximately 539,000 workers were involved in these work stoppages. Work stoppages increased by 9% from 2022 to 2023.
Workers involved: The number of workers involved in work stoppages increased by 141% from 2022 to 2023.
Workers' top demands: The report found workers were demanding “better pay, improved health and safety and increased staffing.”
How long work stoppages lasted: Most work stoppages lasted a short period of time. 62% lasted fewer than five days.
How many nonunion workers organized strikes: Nonunion workers organized 22% of all strikes in 2023 compared to 31% in 2022.
The industry that dominated strikes: The majority of work stoppages in 2023 were in the accommodation and food services industry — about one-third of all stoppages. But these stoppages account for only 6% of total workers involved in stoppages for the year. The majority of accommodation and food services workers were led by Starbucks Workers United — an organizing effort to unionize Starbucks locations — or the Fight for $15 campaign — an organizing effort to unionize underpaid workers and secure a $15 minimum wage.
Other industries that went on strike: Work stoppages were evenly dispersed across other industries outside of food services compared to 2022. The industries with the highest number of work stoppages included information, health care and social assistance, as well as educational services.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images News via Getty Images)
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