US Dockworkers End Strike
US Dockworkers End Strike
The Facts
Some 45K US dockworkers ended their 3-day strike Thursday following an International Longshoremen's Association (ILA)-US Maritime Alliance (USMX) deal.
An ILA-USMX joint statement ending the three-day strike tentatively agreed on key issues like wages and held off others like automation for further talks.While the ILA wanted a 77% wage increase over six years, and USMX offered a 50% hike, the two sides reportedly agreed to a 62% pay raise, increasing the average hourly port worker wage from $39 to $63 over that period.
The Spin
The US dockworkers' strike exposed the ugly underbelly of union monopolies. It threatened to paralyze trade and harm countless lower-paid workers across industries, demonstrating how unchecked union power can lead to extortion-like tactics, ultimately hurting the very workers that the unions claim to protect.
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