International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett pushed back against concerns on the impacts his labor union’s port strike could have on the U.S. economy, claiming people “never gave a s*** about us” until the strike started.
ILA members went on strike at midnight after the union was unable to reach a new deal with the United States Maritime Alliance, impacting 36 ports along the East and Gulf coasts. Daggett was asked if he was worried about farmers and consumers being hit by shortages the strike could cause, to which he responded that those people are “starting to realize who the longshoremen are.”
“People never gave a s*** about us until now, when they finally realize that the chain is being broke now,” Daggett said in a segment aired on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “Cars won’t come in, food won’t come in, clothing won’t come in. You know how many people depend on our jobs? Half the world. And it’s time for them and time for Washington to put so much pressure on them to take care of us, because we took care of them, and we’re here 135 years and brought them where they are today, and they don’t want to share.”
Before the strike began, Daggett explained that companies made the most money during the COVID-19 pandemic and that he wants “a piece of that for my men.” He added that he and his fellow port workers “kept them going” during the pandemic and that he wants to be “compensated” for that.
When asked about how the supply chain could be affected by the strike, Daggett predicted that every port “from Maine to Texas” would lock down. When that happens, he explained that many businesses will shut down, threatening to “cripple” his opponents until a proper deal is reached.
“I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means,” Daggett said. “Nobody does.”
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With the strike underway, numerous items and goods could undergo shortages and price bumps, including automobiles, toys, alcohol, and seafood.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Tuesday that the Biden administration failed to encourage a new deal between the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance. He said the strike “will only exacerbate the economic pain” the country has been dealing with in the last few years. It comes after President Joe Biden, a pro-union president, said he would not intervene in the strike.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
