On October 1st, 2024 over 40,000 workers at 36 ports represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association went on strike for the first time since 1977. The strike came about after there was a standstill in negotiations over wages between the ILA and the USMX. The ILA is formally the East Coast equivalent to the West Coasts ILWU which almost had a 22,000 person strong shutdown of 29 Pacific ports in 2023 over similar demands. Wages, and a fight against automation. The United States Maritime Alliance is a collection of powerful shipping companies joined together as a united front to handle negotiations with the union that represents East and Gulf coast port workers. The ILA and the USMX have a closed off bargaining process where very little information flows in and out of but what has been said publicly was that the union initially asked for a 77% increase in pay over the life of the six year contract. While the USMX responded with an offer of only 50%. This wage dispute, along with a fight over automation, and shipping container royalties was the straw that broke the camels back, and after the USMX was served with a strike notice as required by law, the ILA held true to its word and stopped almost all work along the East Coast at 12:01 Tuesday morning. We sadly have to specify almost above because the self identified I Love America union will not be stopping US military cargo, nor are they stopping any cruise ships that need to dock or depart. It is quite a sight to behold that of one of the most powerful unions in the USA today decided to keep their hands off of Americas crown jewels, that is the physical nourishment of a brutal global empire, and floating theme parks with unlimited frozen yogurt.

Flippancy aside the ILAs gameness secured them a tentative agreement after three days which includes a 61.5% raise over the life of the contract. This is not the end of the bargaining process though, work has resumed on the ports but may come to a halt again mid January. The agreement that was put forward was solely bargaining over wages, and the other critical issue of automation has not been dealt with at all yet. The ILAs current President Harold Daggett has been very vocal about stronger language in the contract about automation. Desiring to have an agreement that disallows any meaningful new automation at the ports while the contract is ratified. So if Mr. Daggett sticks to his words we may very well see this powerful union with a New Years Resolution of striking come January 16th.

This large of a strike in such an important sector has put the ILA in the sights of other labor organizations. With this newfound media spotlight a variety of other unions including the ILWU, Netherlands Port Workers Union, and Bermuda Industrial Union have put out statements of solidarity with the ILA. Now, at this point in time the strike is over so any practical application of this "solidarity" is null and void. Though it begs the question that if the ILA would have been on strike for longer would these unions have rejected cargo that came from ILA ports, would they have also went on strike, or slowed down in solidarity? The answer is probably not, but an increased practical solidarity and shared fighting capacity should be something that we strive towards in our unions and all labor struggles. Whether it is fighting for demands that are applicable to the whole class, uniting struggles of different workers, or attempting to build a class wide union these are practical things the labor movement within the US should be striving for, and while these statements of solidarity are practically irrelevant at this moment they are a microcosm of a positive development within the class.

The necessity of unifying workers across unions, and different workplaces is made incredibly apparent in a struggle such as this. How much greater the blow dealt to capital would be if workers not only on one side of the continent were on strike but both? How much more could workers win if not only port workers were unified but railroad workers, truckers, and seaman had unified contracts and struck at the same time. This unity among the class must be fought for, and needs to transcend national boundaries. Workers in North America from the bottom of Mexico to the tip of Canada must come together to defend their immediate interests and to build a unified class. The bourgeoisie has no qualms with holding hands with their "enemies" whether it is other governments, or different companies that they are in competition with when that unification can continue their domination of the working class. Workers in these different industries must come together so that the fight not only benefits themselves but the entire class in their struggle within class society. This unity will be the very foundation of what will allow a new world to be built. A world constructed on the basis of necessity and a true freedom. An antithesis of this "freedom" that we have in our current global capitalist age. The freedom to split society into those who work and those who take. A freedom that allows an ever increasingly smaller amount of individuals to live wonderful lives while the rest are supposed to support and be grateful for their subservience to the class of owners. The International Communist Party happily encourages workers not only to fight for their immediate interests but to also struggle for a world in which this division is overcome. This can only happen when workers of all races, industries, and creeds are united sea to shining sea.