US East Coast Ports Face Possible Dockworkers' Strike
The Facts
Dock workers on the East and Gulf Coasts may go on strike on Oct. 1, if the International Longshoremen's Association doesn't approve a new six-year labor contract with the operators of port terminals before Sept. 30. The current contract expires at midnight on Monday.
In anticipation of a work stoppage — which a JPMorgan transportation analysis estimated would cost the economy $5B a day — many importers have reportedly diverted shipments to West Coast ports or stocked up on goods they'll need later in the year.
The Spin
Narrative A
This is going to be a difficult battle, but it's a necessary one for the dockworkers who are being disadvantaged by current labor laws and exploited by greedy corporations. A strike is the only way to teach the powers that be a lesson. If the Biden administration is as pro-union as it claims, it'll get involved in these negotiations on the dock workers' side.
Narrative B
Daggett seems intent on taking down the US economy for the sole purpose of achieving personal victory. There's a middle ground to be found, but Daggett appears to have soured on the Biden administration, and — armed with the power to call a strike without a vote — he's determined to make the president look bad regardless of the expense to the country and his workers.
