Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support for the 47,000 dockworkers striking for better compensation and job security on Tuesday, putting the onus on the shipping industry to prevent a potential economic fallout by satisfying organized labor's demands.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said that workers should be able to "negotiate" for better wages, but stopped short of endorsing the strike or the International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the dockworkers' union on the East and Gulf Coasts.
"This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
The shipping industry recovered from a 2023 slump to record billions of dollars in profits so far this year. Harris also pointed out that, during his presidency, Trump "blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers" and "appointed union-busters" to the National Labor Relations Board. More recently, she noted he "said striking workers should be fired."
For his part, Trump took the opportunity to snipe at Harris, blaming the strike on "inflation brought on by Kamala Harris’ two votes for massive, out-of-control spending," likely referring to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Harris helped pass with a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Inflation has steadily declined since passage of the IRA.
After months of stalled negotiations over higher wages and restrictions on automating jobs traditionally held by workers, the ILA went on strike this week, shutting down more than a dozen major ports. Failure for both parties to reach a deal could cause severe delays in the transportation of goods and raise prices.
President Joe Biden could have invoked the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to suspend the strike for 80 days while negotiations continued. However, he chose to let the strike proceed, saying he wanted to let workers exercise their collective bargaining rights. He and Secretary of Labor Julie Su have called on all parties to return to the negotiating table and give workers the "benefits they deserve."
