November 5, 2024
Beginning on October 1st, 2024, 45,000 longshoremen, port workers, around the East Coast began striking for higher wages, affecting states ranging from Massachusetts and south to Texas.
The strike cut off 75% of the nation's access to the nation's imports, such as perishable goods like fruit, which are at risk of rotting in cities and ports brought to a standstill.
The range of the salary for the longshoremen is $29-$39, and a tentative six-year contract would give workers a total $24 raise, beginning with $4 dollars a year on top of an existing salary of $39 per hour for union members, which could put the average worker above the poverty line.
Having lasted 3 days, this strike demonstrated the pivotal role of workers in the country’s port system. In just three days, a total of 900 million dollars, relating to products, deals, or the overall system were lost.
In spite of this strike causing so much economic damage, workers plan to extend a tentative contract with industry leaders until January 15, 2025, where union representatives and companies will return to discuss other important issues regarding worker’s wages and automation of jobs. With worker’s first strike being efficient in causing large-scale economic damages, it is unknown whether these companies will officially raise worker’s wages in 2025.
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