Dock Strike: How the Dock Workers Strike Could Affect North Texas

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DALLAS – For the first time in decades, dock workers from Houston to Maine are on strike. A local economist weighed in on how that could affect people in North Texas.

Union members are fighting to automate ports, something that is being done around the world.

“If it were up to them, they would like to see automation in every port all the way to Houston. That’s never going to happen with me,” said Harold Daggett, international president of the International Longshoremen’s Association.

Workers are also asking for better wages.

“The offers we had didn’t work out. I said see you later, bye. We’re always willing to sit down when the right numbers come in,” Daggett said.

FOX 4 spoke with SMU economist Mike Davis about the magnitude of the strike.

“Amazon’s delivery van is great. Air cargo is great. But the only efficient way to deliver a large quantity of items is by ocean freight,” Davis said.

The bigger question is whether the strike will affect consumers here in North Texas.

Davis said if the strike is short and only lasts a few weeks, there won’t be much impact on places like the grocery store.

“I’m not too worried about the short-term effects. I’m not even that worried about the upcoming holiday season, let’s say, because it seems like a lot of places have made adjustments to this. I’ve ordered merchandise. They’ve moved shipments to the West Coast,” he said .

But it is not known how long the contractual conflict will last.

Davis said President Joe Biden could intervene, but with the election only 40 days away, it’s unlikely.

“There is the option, and it would have to come from President Biden to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act and ask for an 80-day cooling-off period,” he said.

West Coast ports operate under a different union. Busier centers in Los Angeles and Long Beach have increased automation in recent years.

The ILA president said this resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs.

However, the issue of automation is not exclusive to the United States. Ports around the world have moved in that direction, most aggressively in China.

“I understand that the unions want higher wages and, you know, we all want higher wages. That’s fine. But basically blocking new technology from reaching the ports to deliberately make the transport of goods more or less efficient, is worrying”. Davis said.

The union is seeking a 77% wage increase over six years.

The last proposal was 50%.