Based Underground is now a conservative news aggregator AND curated newsletter.
(Zero Hedge)—More than 45,000 International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members from over three dozen facilities across 14 Gulf and East Coast ports went on strike early Tuesday, marking the largest labor action at US ports in nearly 50 years. The labor action, driven by disputes over automation and wages in a new multi-year labor contract, threatens to disrupt supply chains nationwide. If the strike persists for more than a week, retailers could face shortages of certain goods (read: here), potentially sparking another wave of inflation.
ILA’s strike hit 36 ports across the Gulf and up and down the East Coast—this is the union’s first labor action since 1977. Workers walked off the job at the Port of Philadelphia a few short minutes after midnight when ILA and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX)—a coalition of port operators and carriers—failed to agree on a new labor contract offer that would have boosted wages by 50% over six years and pledged to place limitations on port automation. The union has demanded a 77% pay bump.
The ILA refusing automation isn’t even the craziest demand.
The craziest ILA demand is *touch* fees
Let me explain…
You’ve heard about our crumbling highways and bridges? And the $1.2 TRILLION infrastructure bill Congress passed to fix them? Well, the primary culprit for that… https://t.co/P9n95vhlsS
— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) October 1, 2024
On Tuesday, ILA said USMX’s latest offer was rejected because it “fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.” Both sides have been locked in talks since June.
“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” union boss Harold Daggett said in a statement, quoted by AP News, adding, “They must now meet our demands for this strike to end.”
🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: U.S. DOCKWORKERS MOVE TOWARD STRIKE AFTER DEADLINE PASSES
Dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts are set to strike after failing to reach a deal, marking the first ILA strike since 1977.
The strike could halt about half of the nation’s ocean shipping, costing the… https://t.co/SAvY2hgrCe pic.twitter.com/HTWcbdsnYo
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 1, 2024
BREAKING – Over 45k union dockworkers with ILA are officially on strike, shutting down all East and Gulf coast ports, from New York to Miami to Houston. They’re standing to protect their future against the shipping companies forcing automation on the docks. pic.twitter.com/BnRqZzkHqT
— On the Line (@laborontheline) October 1, 2024
Supply chain management company Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen noted on X that the Teamsters Union released a statement in solidarity with ILA, informing the Biden administration to “stay the f**k out of this fight”…
The Teamsters tells Biden to “stay the f**k out of this fight” in their statement of solidarity with the ILA.
When did organizations start using curse words in their official press releases?
T minus 54 minutes to the port strike… pic.twitter.com/HRb3OEHMNX
— Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) October 1, 2024
Ahead of the strike, a video posted on X, supposedly of ILA boss Daggett, warned: “I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does,” referring to the power the union has over the US economy.
"I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does."
Harold Dagget, Chief Negotiator for the International Longshoremen Association, threatens to cripple the US economy with IMMINENT port strike.
In a recent interview, Harold explains the impact of what will… pic.twitter.com/ImySIQrXoy
— Brother Mikey (@BrotherMikeyX) September 30, 2024
“This video is wild If this video is real, I think we need to give the longshoreman exactly what they want immediately… … then we need to execute on a plan to automate as much of the ports as possible so they can’t destroy civilization — as he’s threatening to do!,” All-In’ podcast host Jason Calacanis wrote on X while commenting on the video.
Goldman analysts explained last week that a walkout by ILA members would jeopardize $5 billion in daily international trade coming into the Gulf and East Coast ports, while JPMorgan noted the hit could be between $3.8 billion and $4.5 billion a day.
On Monday morning, Goldman analysts led by Brooke Roach provided clients with an overview of the major retailers that would be impacted the most by a port shutdown. In particular, the analysts found that about half of Dollar Tree’s products had passed through these ports, indicating that a prolonged strike could spark shortages of certain goods on store shelves.
Also on Monday, Suzanne Clark, CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a letter to the Biden administration: “It would be unconscionable to allow a contract dispute to inflict such a shock to our economy,” adding, “Taft-Hartley would provide time for both parties in negotiation to reach a deal on a new labor contract.”
- Concerned about your life’s savings as the multiple challenges decimate retirement accounts? You’re not alone. Find out how Genesis Precious Metals can help you secure your wealth with a proper self-directed IRA backed by physical precious metals.
Afghan Who Plotted Election Day Terrorism Was a CIA Contractor
by Headline USA
It looks like the FBI may have entrapped a former CIA contractor in a plot to commit a terrorist attack on Election Day. The Justice Department announced this week the arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old Afghan man, alleging that he was planning an Election…
Last day for the special on long-term storage beef. Save 35% with promo code “JDR” at Prepper All-Naturals.
Genetically Modified Crops: A Growing Threat to Health and the Environment
by Olivia Cook
(Natural News)—Bioengineered foods and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are commonly confused with each other, but they have different meanings. “Bioengineered” describes food and products that are enhanced with scientific techniques to add particular traits. In contrast, “GMOs” involve changing the genetic makeup of animals, plants or microbes in ways that…
United Nations Expands into “UN 2.0” to Turbocharge Sustainable Development Goals
by Liberty Sentinel
The United Nations (UN) has not gone rogue, argues journalist Alex Newman on American Family Radio’s show, At the Core , but they have always existed to achieve one goal: one-world government. This goal is not only un-American, but it is unbiblical. Newman and AFR host Walker Wildmon also dive…
Congressman Matt Gaetz Says Epstein Was Killed as Part of a ‘Foreign Operation’
by Modernity
Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz says sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was killed as part of a ‘foreign operation’, but refused to divulge which government was responsible for his death. Gaetz made the comments during an appearance on Benny Johnson’s show. In August 2019, Epstein was found unresponsive in his jail cell…
DOJ Takes Aim at Breaking Up Google
by Infowars
On Tuesday, the United States announced potential plans to request a court mandate directing Alphabet Inc to divest significant segments of its operations, including its Chrome browser and Android operating system. This move aims to dismantle what is described as an illegal monopoly held by Google in the online search…
Is Gavin Newsom Hoping that Kamala Harris Loses the Election?
by American Greatness
Two minutes of airtime during the Democrat National Convention in Chicago gave California Governor Gavin Newsom his latest opportunity to build his national stature. As part of the announcement of Kamala Harris’s clinching of the Democrat presidential nomination during a symbolic roll call of state delegates, Newsom portrayed Harris as…
Is It Time for a Nationwide Ban on Fluoridated Water?
by Natural News
Do community leaders reserve the right to mass medicate every person in their community using the water supply as a vector? What if that medicine was eventually exposed as a POISON decades later? What if that POISON was damaging the brains of children and stunting the cognitive development of the…
GOP Rep. Luna: We Need to End FEMA Migrant Spending and Boost Disaster Relief Funding
by Breitbart
On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) stated that FEMA’s funding for migrants should be zeroed out at once and that while there is FEMA money for hurricane victims, we should also boost emergency relief funding “that will go directly to Americans…
Earth’s Continental Crust in America and China Is Breaking Apart
by End Times Headlines
Researchers, who have been studying the dramatic changes in the continental configurations of Earth over the past billions of years, have made a stunning observation: that the oldest continental crusts are disintegrating. According to experts, the Earth’s crust went through expansion and contraction and has transformed not only its positions…
“Line All Those Guys Up and Shoot Them”: Professor Says Men Who Don’t Support Female Candidates Should Be Massacred
by Daily Caller
(Jaryn Crouson, DCNF)—A professor at the University of Kansas (UK) told a class that men who would not vote for a female president should be lined up and shot, according to a video posted on X Wednesday. The university confirmed the professor is employed at UK and made the comment…