NRF urges Biden to use ‘any and all’ authority to immediately end port strike
The National Retail Federation (NRF) wants the Biden Administation to take action to end the strike at the East and Gulf Coast container ports.
Approximately 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have walked off the job at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports from New England to Texas after the six-year master contract between the ILA and port management group United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expired on Sept. 30. It is the union’s first strike since 1977.
The ILA rejected an offer from USMX on Monday that included a wage hike over six years near 50%.
“NRF urges President Biden to use any and all available authority and tools — including use of the Taft-Hartley Act — to immediately restore operations at all impacted container ports, get the parties back to the negotiating table and ensure there are no further disruptions,” the NRF said in a statement. “A disruption of this scale during this pivotal moment in our nation’s economic recovery will have devastating consequences for American workers, their families and local communities. It is essential that the ILA and USMX immediately resume negotiations with the intention of finalizing a new master contract without further disruptions and put an end to this stalemate.”
The ports are estimated to handle almost half of the goods shipped into and out of the U.S.
In a statement, Brian Dodge, president of the Retail Leaders Industry Association, said that while leading retailers have prepared for disruptions, the U.S. economy is likely to see “immediate impacts from even a short-lived strike.”
“Latest estimates suggest a strike could cost the economy over $4 billion a day,” he said.
FMI — The Food Industry Association — also issued a statement in which is said that while there's never a good time for a strike, the current strike is compounding the "horrific situation" in the Southeastern United States resulting from Hurricane Helene.
“Compounding the implications of this strike, we are facing a humanitarian crisis of extraordinary proportions," stated FMI president and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. "Hurricane Helene’s aftermath in communities across North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina have left tremendous flooding and washed-out roads, destruction of neighborhoods, no power, and no potable water. Many of our food retail and product supplier members are trying desperately to ensure their associates’ safety and get their businesses back online to serve these devastated communities and support their own employees who have been displaced. We urge the negotiating parties to come to a swift resolution as we all focus on assisting these devastated communities.”
