Nearly 50,000 dock workers, from Maine to Florida, are striking for the first time in decades.
The work stoppage could push up prices and cause supply chain issues if it lingers too long.
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“This is an outward expression of inward frustrations,” Warren Smith said.
Smith is the President of the International Longshoreman Association (ILA) for Local 1408. Smith is a third-generation longshoreman with two sons also on the frontline.
Smith said during the pandemic, the port of Jacksonville lost 50 men and women to COVID-19 as they worked to deliver masks, respirators, gloves, and hospital beds across the country.
Read: Dockworkers strike; ports shut down
“Now after we did all that, we never asked for a raise. We never asked for hazardous pay,” Smith said. “But, instead of giving us a raise and rewarding us as we so deserve, they’ve decided that not only are they not gonna increase our pay, but that they’re gonna replace us with robots.”
Smith is referring to automation. Two key jobs, operating cranes and moving containers, could become automated. The ILA wants stronger language in their contracts to protect union jobs from automation and semi-automation.
The outrage from union members nationwide could result in higher prices at stores and a supply-chain issue.
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Sean Snaith, the director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting at the University of Central Florida, said don’t panic just yet.
“It’s not exactly the dire or dramatic situation as we went through during COVID-19, but it certainly has the potential, again if it lingers on, to create some economic disruption,” Snaith said.
The port of Jacksonville, or JAXPORT as it’s also called, is a large automotive port, so we could see a disruption in auto parts.
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Snaith said bulk items, like coffee beans, cocoa beans, and bananas, could also be impacted.
“You could see an increase in the cost of living, driven by these items that fall into shortages,” Snaith said. “Or [it could] incur higher transportation costs to get them to their destination.”
Dock workers want a $5 per hour pay hike per year, over a six-year contract. They’re also asking to raise the top hourly wage from $39 to $69 and to keep a current ban on fully automated equipment.
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