Failure of the International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance to extend their contract negotiations raises the likelihood of a Maine-to-Texas dock strike at year-end.
“I think we’ll be on strike,” ILA President Harold Daggett said after federally mediated negotiations broke off amid disagreements over carrier-paid container royalties that provide annual payouts to ILA workers.
The current contract, already extended once past its original Sept. 30 expiration, is set to expire Dec. 29. ILA wage-scale delegates voted last week to authorize Daggett to call a strike if there was no agreement by Dec. 29.