A port labor dispute between the United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association Labor Negotiations is now the subject of negotiations under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).
Should those talks fail, a strike could hit 14 ports along the U.S. east and Gulf coasts. Today, the Strike Club warns that if the strike becomes a reality, it could be the precursor of further labor unrest, not only in the U.S. but elsewhere, with extremely damaging repercussions for shipowners and charterers.
U.S. seafarers have now joined forces with longshoremen under a new partnership, the Maritime Labor Alliance, which has received a message of support from the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
