No immediate disruptions reported from port strike as trade unions pressure Biden to take action

A large group of International Longshoreman's Association members posing with picket signs at a port.
The International Longshoreman's Association strike has entered its third day, but there have been few reported disruptions so far | Photo courtesy of the International Longshoreman's Association/Facebook
6 Min

The International Longshoreman’s Association East and Gulf Coast port strike has entered its third day, and while the rhetoric is heating up, there have been minimal supply chain problems reported so far. 

However, pressure is mounting from trade groups for U.S. President Joe Biden to use his legal powers to end the strike, especially since the damage from Hurricane Helene has left North Carolina in need of aid supplies. 

Yesterday afternoon nearly 300 trade organizations sent a joint coalition letter to the Biden administration calling on him to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act. The act allows a president to request a court ordered return to negotiations when a strike threatens national health and safety.

“Given the dire situation and the massive negative ramifications for our industries and the economy, we implore you to take immediate action to resolve this situation expeditiously," the letter said.

The letter also said the port strike constitutes a matter of “both economic and national security.” 

J.P. Morgan has estimated that the strikes could cost the country between USD 3.8 billion and USD 4.5 billion (EUR 3.4 billion and EUR 4.1 billion) a day, though some of those large losses will likely be recovered when the strike ends.

Biden said on 1 October that he supported the striking workers, echoing the language of union leadership, who placed blame for the strike on ocean carrier companies which they said had made record profits during the pandemic, but had not passed those gains along to workers. 

The White House’s 1 October statement did acknowledge the pressure placed on the shipping industry in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which has decimated some North Carolina communities and left 200 people confirmed dead.

“As our nation climbs out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Biden said, “dockworkers will play an essential role in getting communities the resources they need.” 

Biden placed the responsibility for resolving the strike on the ...


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