Historic strike closes Port of Houston

Hundreds of striking union workers came to the Port of Houston to demand fair wages and protection from automation.

Many carried signs reading “No work without a fair contract” and “ILA workers over machines; defend our jobs and rights.”

The closure is the result of an expired contract and failed negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), which represents longshoremen, and their employer, the United States Maritime Alliance.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire came to support the union members.

“We want a fair contract, fair wages and we don’t want to cut jobs without consultation,” said Mayor Whitmire.

An agreement has yet to be reached between the two sides, but KPRC 2 received a statement from the US Maritime Alliance regarding the negotiations:

“Our industry directly supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the United States and is a significant economic driver for the U.S. economy and families across the country. USMX is proud of the wages and benefits we provide to our 25,000 ILA employees and strongly supports a collective bargaining process that allows us to fully negotiate wages, benefits and technology and ensure the safety of our workers every day. We have demonstrated our determination to do our part to end the entirely avoidable ILA strike. Our current offer of a nearly 50% wage increase exceeds all other recent union agreements, while addressing inflation and recognizing the ILA's hard work to keep the global economy running. We look forward to hearing from the Union about how we can come back to the table and actually negotiate, because that is the only way we can reach a solution.”

The ILA also released a statement:

“Although ILA members have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the country's trade operates smoothly and continue to sacrifice time with their own families so that goods can arrive in the homes of other families around the world, due to Due to corporate greed, employers still refuse to adequately compensate ILA members. In recent years, these companies' net revenues have increased astronomically, from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars, while ILA members' pay increases do not even cover the cost of inflation. The ILA fights for respect, appreciation and fairness in a world where companies are determined to replace hard-working people with automation. Employers are pushing automation under the guise of safety, but in reality it is about reducing labor costs to increase their already exceptionally high profits. As the last six years have shown, automation cannot outpace ILA's skilled workforce. Automating our countries’ ports should be a concern for everyone. The truth is that robots don't pay taxes and don't spend money in their communities. The ILA will continue to fight until its members receive the fair contract they deserve.”

Ed Emmett, an energy and transportation policy fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute, spoke to KPRC 2 about the impact on consumers if a deal isn't reached soon.

“I think it's important that we talk about Houston as the energy capital because people think, Oh, what is this going to do to us? Well, transports like oil tankers and other types of ships are not affected at all, and many general cargoes are not affected at all. This is primarily container and car traffic, and the most immediate impact will be on fruits and vegetables as they have no shelf life,” Emmett said.