Dockworkers have gone on strike and are walking the picket line in South Boston, mirroring shut downs happening at ports along the East Cost and Gulf Coast.
The workers are asking for a raise and to not be replaced by automation in the strike that kicked off at midnight on Tuesday.
The International Longshoremen's Association represents 85,000 dockworkers in the eastern half of the United States. The union argues that the U.S. Maritime Alliance has been allowing ocean carriers to earn billion-dollar profits without compensating them, and without offering protections against automation.
The two sides were at the bargaining table until late Monday night, with the Maritime Alliance saying its most recent offer would increase wages by nearly 50%, triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, strengthen health care options and retain the current language around automation and semi-automation.
The ILA rejected the offer.
“We’re just looking for a fair contract and we’re fighting automation," ILA VP for the New England area Bernie O'Donnell said. "It’s pretty simple, we’re just looking for a good contract and we’ll be here as long as it takes to win that battle.”
The U.S. Maritime Alliance released a statement overnight.
“The USMX increased our offer and has also requested an extension of the current Master Contract, now that both sides have moved off their previous positions. We are hopeful that this could allow us to fully resume collective bargaining," the statement said in part.
Meanwhile, experts estimate this strike could represent a $5 billion daily hit to the economy.
“So if you have a week-long strike, it could take anywhere from four to six weeks for recovery," Jonathan Gold from the National Retail Federation said. "If you go two weeks, you're looking at several months before full recovery happens.”
Experts said the first products to be impacted would be perishables like produce and seafood.
