x.com/typesfast/status/2105662266762834058
2 corrections found
a pledge of no automation of our ports
The final ILA-USMX deal did not promise zero automation at East and Gulf Coast ports. The official agreement says it creates a framework for implementing new technologies, with workforce protections.
Full reasoning
Harold Daggett's own strike-day demand was for "absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation". But the final deal announced by the ILA and USMX on January 8, 2025 did not say automation was barred from the ports.
Instead, the joint ILA-USMX statement said the contract "establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports". USMX's official summary of the contract likewise says the Master Contract creates a "collaborative framework for evaluating and implementing new technologies" and a "framework for integrating new technologies".
So the outcome was not a blanket pledge of "no automation of our ports." It was a deal that paired workforce protections with a negotiated process for introducing new technology.
3 sources
- ILA President Harold J. Daggett Joins Picket Lines Throughout Port Newark/Elizabeth at Start of Strike; Rallies Tens of Thousands of ILA Members to Stay Strong and United - ILA Union
"Plus, we want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA."
- International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) Announce Tentative Agreement on New Six-Year Master Contract - ILA Union
"This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports - making them safer and more efficient, and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong."
- Technology - United States Maritime Alliance
"The Master Contract establishes a collaborative framework for evaluating and implementing new technologies..." and "The Master Contract establishes a framework for integrating new technologies that improve operational efficiency..."
he got all his demands.
Daggett did win the big wage increase, but official ILA-USMX statements show the final contract still allows new technologies under a negotiated framework. That means he did not get the outright no-automation language he had publicly demanded.
Full reasoning
This overstates the outcome.
On October 1, 2024, Daggett publicly said the union was demanding three things, including "absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation". But when the ILA and USMX announced their tentative agreement on January 8, 2025, they described it differently: the contract "establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports."
USMX's official contract summary says the agreement creates a framework for evaluating and implementing new technologies and a framework for integrating new technologies. So while Daggett did secure the large wage increase, the final agreement was not the total no-automation outcome he had demanded in public. That makes "he got all his demands" inaccurate.
3 sources
- ILA President Harold J. Daggett Joins Picket Lines Throughout Port Newark/Elizabeth at Start of Strike; Rallies Tens of Thousands of ILA Members to Stay Strong and United - ILA Union
"Plus, we want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA."
- International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) Announce Tentative Agreement on New Six-Year Master Contract - ILA Union
"This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports - making them safer and more efficient..."
- Technology - United States Maritime Alliance
"The Master Contract establishes a collaborative framework for evaluating and implementing new technologies..." and "The Master Contract establishes a framework for integrating new technologies..."