The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) went on strike at midnight last night, halting operations at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts from Maine to Texas. The Alabama Port Authority, which oversees the Port of Mobile, is one of the many impacted.
The strike is the first major labor action by the ILA since 1977. The union’s opening offer is a 77% pay raise to make up for inflation, the Associated Press reports.
“The ILA is fighting for respect, appreciation, and fairness in a world in which corporations are dead set on replacing hardworking people with automation,” Mobile ILA President Mark Bass told WKRG 5.
With approximately 900 ILA members at the Port of Mobile, the strike’s impact is being felt close to home as operations come to a standstill — and the repercussions could be severe.
In Alabama alone, the daily cost of containers idling due to the strike is estimated at $10 million. Nationwide, these costs reach $500 million per day. Each day a ship sits at anchor costs between $80,000 and $120,000. The ultimate burden of these costs will likely fall on consumers, Axios reports.
More than half of the nation’s containerized cargo — 56% — moves through East and Gulf Coast ports. West Coast ports will be unable to absorb the sudden surge and disruptions could cause supply chain backups until mid-November if the strike lasts just one week.
A two-week strike could take until 2025 for normal operations to resume.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270
