4 ms·

US dockworkers suspend ports strike until January

9 points by ethbr1 2y ago

h2odragon 2y ago
The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union.
- hulitu 2y ago
  > The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union. Rockefeller did set a precedent when he used mashine guns to end a strike.
- ethbr1 2y ago
  From my reading, the troops were deployed to protect non-union scabs, not to actually do the work. Not sure how much of a modern port would be instantly runnable by reservists.
  - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
    How much of it would be instantly runnable by new-hire replacement workers?
    - ethbr1 2y ago
      I expect they wouldn't be new hires. They'd be "Have experience with ____ machinery" workers. So probably retired union and/or folks from out of state.
ethbr1 2y ago
>> The union says it has reached a tentative agreement on wages and will go back to work on Friday until 15 January, when they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate "all other outstanding issues". >> Under a tentative agreement workers’ wages would go up by 62% over the next six years, according to US media reports. The union had been calling for a 77% wage hike, while USMX had previously increased its pay rise offer to almost 50%. Hmm, if a +8.4% yearly wage increase was feasible, then it seems like workers were being underpaid relative to the profit their work generated.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  more like 7.2% if it's compounding (important distinction. Especially if they are going to try to "layoff" people in the next 1-2 years). But yes, a large part of the argument was the wages not keeping up with the crazy inflation at all. inflation surged to 8.3% in 2022 so this isn't necessarily some crazy pay raise as opposed to getting back what they were making pre-pandemic.
  - ethbr1 2y ago
    1.072^6 would be an effective 51.8% total raise after six years, no?
    - johnnyanmac 2y ago
      Oh yeah, you're right. I was calculating off the original deal of 50% before they raised it to 62%. Apologies.
      - ethbr1 2y ago
        Full disclosure: I originally eyeballed it, then felt bad about being imprecise, double checked my memory of the compounding formula, and calculated it out. ;)
- xpl 2y ago
  Most people are underpaid if we consider the global 'productivity-pay gap' phenomenon (since the 1970s, wages haven't been growing as much as productivity)...
- dialup_sounds 2y ago
  They were being paid according to the previous contract negotiated in 2018, which included a ~11% wage increase over the duration. https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/2018-2024_USMX-ILA_MASTER_CONTRACT_BOOK.pdf https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/2018-20...

9 points by ethbr1 2y ago

The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union.

hulitu 2y ago
> The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union. Rockefeller did set a precedent when he used mashine guns to end a strike.
ethbr1 2y ago
From my reading, the troops were deployed to protect non-union scabs, not to actually do the work. Not sure how much of a modern port would be instantly runnable by reservists.
- AnimalMuppet 2y ago
  How much of it would be instantly runnable by new-hire replacement workers?
  - ethbr1 2y ago
    I expect they wouldn't be new hires. They'd be "Have experience with ____ machinery" workers. So probably retired union and/or folks from out of state.

ethbr1 2y ago

>> The union says it has reached a tentative agreement on wages and will go back to work on Friday until 15 January, when they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate "all other outstanding issues". >> Under a tentative agreement workers’ wages would go up by 62% over the next six years, according to US media reports. The union had been calling for a 77% wage hike, while USMX had previously increased its pay rise offer to almost 50%. Hmm, if a +8.4% yearly wage increase was feasible, then it seems like workers were being underpaid relative to the profit their work generated.

johnnyanmac 2y ago
more like 7.2% if it's compounding (important distinction. Especially if they are going to try to "layoff" people in the next 1-2 years). But yes, a large part of the argument was the wages not keeping up with the crazy inflation at all. inflation surged to 8.3% in 2022 so this isn't necessarily some crazy pay raise as opposed to getting back what they were making pre-pandemic.
- ethbr1 2y ago
  1.072^6 would be an effective 51.8% total raise after six years, no?
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    Oh yeah, you're right. I was calculating off the original deal of 50% before they raised it to 62%. Apologies.
    - ethbr1 2y ago
      Full disclosure: I originally eyeballed it, then felt bad about being imprecise, double checked my memory of the compounding formula, and calculated it out. ;)
xpl 2y ago
Most people are underpaid if we consider the global 'productivity-pay gap' phenomenon (since the 1970s, wages haven't been growing as much as productivity)...
dialup_sounds 2y ago
They were being paid according to the previous contract negotiated in 2018, which included a ~11% wage increase over the duration. https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/2018-2024_USMX-ILA_MASTER_CONTRACT_BOOK.pdf https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/2018-20...