US president-elect says savings from automation are not worth the ‘distress, hurt, and harm’ caused to workers.
Published On 13 Dec 2024
United States President-elect Donald Trump has thrown his support behind union dockworkers who are at an impasse with their employer over the use of automation.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) have until January 15 to agree on a new contract, after the sides reached a temporary deal in October.
The deal, which was brokered under intense pressure from the administration of President Joe Biden, brought an end to a three-day strike that crippled operations at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, but left the contentious use of semi-automated cranes unresolved.
Trump on Thursday signalled his support for the workers’ stance following a meeting with Harold Daggett, the president of ILA, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president.
“I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump said that foreign shipping firms had “made a fortune” through their access to the US market and should hire more American worker