Robotics

U.S. dockworkers threaten strike; concerns include automation

U.S. dockworkers have threatened to strike this week, citing concerns such as pay and automation, with PBS reporting that up to 45,000 dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts have threatened to strike on October 1.

Image: Adobe Stock (generated with AI)

September 20, 2024

U.S. dockworkers have threatened to strike this week, citing concerns such as pay and automation, with PBS reporting that up to 45,000 dockworkers on the East and Gulf coasts have threatened to strike on October 1.

The move could affect key ports in charge of almost 50% of American shipping cargo, according to PBS, and the International Longshoremen's Union demands include higher wages and a ban on a range of automation technologies, including cranes, gates, and container movements.

"I think everyone's a bit nervous about it," Mia Ginter, director of North America ocean shipping for logistics firm C.H. Robinson, told PBS. "The rhetoric this time with the ILA is at a level we haven't seen before."