As the holiday season quickly approaches, a new strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is threatening to derail the American economy, ensuring that small businesses and everyday consumers will be left high and dry this winter. On Tuesday, more than 45,000 ILA members across 36 ports joined the picket line, kicking off a boycott that experts predict will bring national supply chains to their knees in the coming weeks.
While Americans face the possibility of empty store shelves, the ILA politburo has expressed a complete unwillingness to budge on its eye-popping contract demands. Unfortunately, it should come as no surprise these fat cats are content to let American consumers suffer. The ILA would sooner bring the economy to a screeching halt than sacrifice an inch of negotiating leverage. For years, these same leaders have bled union coffers dry with bloated salaries, partisan political activism and sweetheart deals for close relatives. If the ILA cannot even keep the interests of its own members in line, it cannot be expected to give the American people a second thought.
Despite the U.S. Maritime Alliance recently offering a 50% wage increase for union members, the ILA has decided to hold out for a staggering 77% raise over a six year period. ILA president Harold Daggett has claimed that crippling inflation and years of minimal wage growth justify this drastic wage bump. Coming from the mobbed up, Rolex-wearing owner of a $2.4 million New Jersey compound – seconded only by a $1.4 million Florida pad – the irony cannot be more obvious. If anything, the blame for this inflationary burden should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Biden-Harris administration, not American businesses. ILA member salaries typically range from $81,000 to over $200,000. Even at an entry level rate, which is still 36% higher than the national average, American workers still struggle under the failed economic vision of the Biden-Harris regime.
The ILA has made it clear that it is prepared to hold the economy hostage until these contract demands are met. In a statement, Daggett declared that “we are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes.” Meanwhile, turning up the heat of this rhetoric, Philadelphia based ILA leader Boise Butler boasted that “what we control as far as the economy is concerned, it’s untouchable,” adding that the ILA isn’t “going anywhere until we get what we deserve.”
While ILA leaders are busy showboating, experts are predicting staggering consequences for a prolonged strike. According to J.P. Morgan, a shutdown of 36 ports across the East and Gulf coasts could cost the economy between $3.8 billion and $4.5 billion per day. With such a grim outlook, American business leaders have called on the Biden-Harris administration to invoke powers under the Taft-Hartley Act, which would allow for an 80-day cooling-off period. With striking ports handling 68% of all containerized exports and 56% of imports, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has called on the Biden-Harris administration to step in, insisting that “it would be unconscionable to allow a contract dispute to inflict such a shock to our economy.” Despite these clear economic risks, the Biden-Harris administration has refused to intervene on behalf of vulnerable Americans, prioritizing the weaponization of collective bargaining over consumer welfare.
The ILA’s willingness to let this strike drag on is unsurprisingly given the self-serving history of its senior leadership. For years, ILA top brass has looted membership revenue to fund exorbitant salaries and entrench close relatives within its leadership cabal. For instance, ILA President Harold Daggett was paid a whopping $1,049,416 in 2023. His sons, Dennis and John Daggett, pocketed $685,877 and $642,631, respectively. Assistant general organizer James Paylor Jr. earned $529,305, while his son received $113,868 in consulting fees. Similarly, general organizer John Baker earned $627,761 in 2023 while his son earned $222,089 as one of 22 ILA vice presidents. It appears that greed has become a family affair within the ILA. While everyday Americans face economic turmoil, the ILA high command will juice the situation for all that it is worth.
If this strike continues indefinitely, small businesses and everyday consumers will be left in dire straits this holiday season. While the ILA pushes its outrageous demands, a supply chain meltdown looms on the horizon. No organization should hold the power to bring the American economy to its knees, let alone a union dominated by greed, nepotism and political activism. Now is the time for the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize consumer welfare over partisan labor politics.
