Well my roof and grass is in better shape than his....

I was a member of the Oil Chemical and Atomic workers union. Being Chicago it was a closed shop. The union went on strike every summer, you had no say so. The raise they got matched the time they were on strike. They struck for better health benefits, but being a college kid that did not matter. They did not require me to walk a picket line where things got pretty nasty. The union steward was there to hear your complaints but did nothing. It was an experience. Oh, I had to pay union dues. They took it out of your check.

Here we go again from the steamship lines. Actions have consequences, and that would be inflation as just the beginning. Had this notice in my email this morning from my freight forwarder.

"October 15th ,2024 Proposed GRI:
Up to US$900 /20’, US$1000 /40’, US$1000 /40HC, US$1265 /45’, (For all ports and points from Asia to USA).

October 27th ,2024 Proposed Emergency Surcharge (East Coast USA Ports):
Up to US$1500 /20’, US$3000 /40’, US$3000 /40HC, US$3798 /45’, (For all ports and points from Asia to USA via East Coast)."

Everyone should be screaming for 100% port automation, and a 24hr work cycle for every port! And FUCK Biden and Buttibutt on telling the ports that they should just cave to the union and pay what they want. And FUCK Harris for doing what she is told to do.

And to top it off they had the balls to say "we will be watching for gouging from carriers." Well guess what when you take capacity out of the system, the capacity that remains becomes more valuable. And importers, companies, retailers and ultimately you and I as consumers take it in the wallet.

Edit to add: To be transparent, the increases are "Proposed". They could come in lower or be postponed. But this is the plan of the day as of this point. I don't want there to be any question of what I put out. There is already so much bullshit and gaslighting out there already, I don't want to be part of that problem.

Strike it rich: Union boss who threatened to ‘cripple’ economy lives in luxe 7,000-square-foot mansion with guest house — and a Bentley

I hope this all blows up right in this thug's face

Time to bust up the greedy unions making everything too expensive and made sub par.

Yep... Sparta, NJ the town where I live. Another reason to move.
If he wants to have his employees make more money dont have the employees pay dues. That would be a boost.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Everything cannot be automated. Cranes break down and need service. It is fascinating to watch the longshoreman offload cargo. Lots of cargo requires gentle handling. It is one of the few highpaying blue collar jobs. Where I live you have to be connected to work at the port.

No you can't automate everything. But the best candidates are things involving standard sizes and standard interfaces. And cargo containers have both. Vision camera guidance has come a long way in the last few years. Everything is being automated - entire warehouses are automated now. Because it's more cost effective than people.

Even China is automating as fast as possible, because automation equipment that is made in China is much cheaper and cost effective when using it to reduce out workers making the equivalent of $5K-$10K a year.

If companies cannot have a monopoly on production, and use that monopoly to cause harm, LABOR UNIONS should not be able to monopolize an industry either.

They have made a great case FOR automation.

The union slime hasn't hurt the dock management, they are hurting the end consumers.

Fuck the unions. Replace them with robots and illegal immigrants that actually want to work.

What are the strike rules for replacement workers?
Is it possible to train them in any reasonable amount of time?
Some of it is skilled, yes... but much of it is just day-labor, right?

The cost of labor certainly wouldn't affect your decision to automate your business would it? By wanting more money those guys are making the argument for the very thing they do not want.

I wonder how much of the labor/workforce are actually union members either by force or choice?

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
The cost of labor certainly wouldn't affect your decision to automate your business would it? By wanting more money those guys are making the argument for the very thing they do not want.

This perfectly logical and certainly true.

A port closing and supply chain disruption before an election would assuredly harm the incumbents. The unions are beholden to the incumbents, so why do they want the ports closed? I'm afraid it is part of the October surprise, or worse.

With 16 deepwater ports, Florida is a hub for worldwide trade and an essential link in our nation’s supply chain. Four of these ports—Port Everglades, PortMiami, Port Tampa Bay, and JAXPORT—are impacted by the International Longshoreman’s Association strike and the inaction of the Biden-Harris Administration.

Disrupting the distribution of food, equipment, and supplies as the Southeast U.S. recovers from Hurricane Helene is unacceptable. Floridians need a reliable, steady supply of resources and building materials to keep their families fed and rebuild their homes and businesses. Therefore, at my direction:

✅The Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard will be deployed to ports affected by the strike to maintain order and, where possible, resume operations at ports which are otherwise shut down.
✅The Florida Department of Transportation will waive the collection of tolls and fees as well as size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles, which will help expedite the transportation of goods from our ports while offsetting operational costs.
✅The Florida Highway Patrol will manage the flow of traffic from all Florida seaports as needed to further expedite the flow of goods held up by the strike. FHP will provide law enforcement escorts for commercial motor vehicles upon request.

Unlike the federal government, Florida is taking decisive action to ensure that our economy continues to function and that victims of Hurricane Helene will have access to what they need to rebuild.

https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/s.../1841912175885185376

quote:

Unlike the federal government, Florida is taking decisive action to ensure that our economy continues to function and that victims of Hurricane Helene will have access to what they need to rebuild.

Action taken by a true leader. Hope other Governors follow suit.

You have to wonder how stupid Biden and Harris's handlers can be that they aren't telling the union to wait until after the election. By not exercising their authority to stop the strike, they are going to piss off a lot of people that might not have voted for Trump otherwise.

They have already lost the union rank & file, except the Teachers and Government Workers Unions. But the labor and trade unions are lost, and they know it. Standing up for the dock workers may seem like a good idea to try to keep as much of the labor vote as possible. But it's maybe 10% of workers, if that. They have greater risk of losing everyone else.

^^^ Let them keep f'king up.

And, it's over.

^^^ Temporarily. Ends week before Presidential inaugeration.

quote:

Source: Dockworkers' union to suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract

By TOM KRISHER, AP Business WriterUpdated Oct 3, 2024 5:59 p.m.

DETROIT (AP) — The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend their strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract, a person briefed on the matter says.

The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately at least until January said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has yet to be signed.

The agreement will allow the union and the U.S Maritime Alliance, which represents the shippers and ports, time to negotiate a new six-year contract. The person also said both sides reached agreement on wage increases, but details weren’t available.

The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at the ports from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.

The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. But most retailers had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the work stoppage.

"On Tuesday, the Biden administration put pressure on port employers to raise their offer to secure a deal with dockworkers.

Went to the employers and not the union?