Ports, traders brace for possible ILA strike

Dec 21, 2012 | 03:32 PM | Thorsten Schier

Tags  ILA, USMX, strike, ports, Nathan Weseley, Jimmy Lyons, Harold Daggett, West Gulf Maritime Association ferrous scrap

NEW YORK — A recent breakdown in negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance Ltd. (USMX) could incite a strike that would affect containerized cargo shipments at ports from Maine to Texas.

“Unfortunately, master contract negotiations are not progressing well, and it is expected that there will be a coastwide strike beginning 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 30,” ILA president Harold Daggett said in a Dec. 19 letter on the union’s website.

“Orders to handle containerized cargo shall not be honored” under the strike, Daggett said. The union is making exceptions for unfrozen perishable commodities, containerized mail, passenger ships, containerized military cargo excluding household goods and non-containerized cargo and automobiles, Daggett said.

If it goes into effect, the strike would affect about 15,000 workers, according to a union spokesman.
Players in the metals and shipping industry were watching the developments with caution Friday, noting that signs indicate a strike is likely at this point. ....