What Does The Longshoreman's Strike Mean?

The east coast longshoremen are now on strike. An increase in wages of 77% over six years or an hourly wage increase from $39 to $69 dollars is their target. An agreement would also entail restrictions on port automation and benefits.

Retailers admit that if not settled quickly the work stoppage will create bottlenecks in already strained supply lines that create shortages and even if resolved in the very near future will raise prices for consumers.

When government officials wanted to create or raise tariffs on imports from certain countries the impact on consumers, higher prices, was merely a buzz in the background. The idea that higher prices on foreign products and their subsequent fall in import volume might lead to smaller demand wasn't a topic of conversation. After all the ability of domestic manufacturers to fill the gap is what the tariffs are all about. 

 

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 Over 50 container ships are waiting offshore of Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. The inability to land beef imports and ship out US chicken exports will put pressure on consumers and farmers.

Saving the jobs of some US workers is more important than saving those of others. It's a good thing to restrict imports from bad people if the jobs of some Americans can be retained, a bad thing if the jobs are moving the containers full of imported stuff from ships to docks.

The income of corporate management, financial mavens, legal professionals, university administrators, professional athletes, entertainers and a host of others that don't get dirty at work but are a drag on the overall economy can't be eliminated.

A major concern of the retailing industry is the possibility that there may be a smaller number of gifts under the 2024 American Christmas tree. This wouldn't necessarily be bad for the big box stores but instead devastating for families. While the Christmas holidays were once seen as a celebration of family togetherness and religious awareness, maybe they've now become an embrace of the consumerism that makes the world  go around. The longshoremen are seen as sabotaging that development for their own benefit.

Lost in the current impasse is that the Biden/Harris regime has determined that the huge, remotely operated cranes, made in China, are a national security risk, all 200 of them, the majority of those in use in the US.