Longshoremen Prepare for Nationwide Strike for Fair Contract, But Not Likely in Maine

Last week, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced that tens of thousands of longshore workers across the country are prepared to strike to win a fair contract with their shipping employers represented by United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). As the union announced in a press release, “workers at ports from Maine to Texas” are united as never before in their determination to win a new contract and the strike will commence at ILA ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast at 12:01 am on October 1 if a new Master Contract Agreement is not settled with USMX.

“A sleeping giant is ready to roar on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, if a new Master Contract Agreement is not in place,” said ILA President Harold J. Daggett. “My members have been preparing for over a year for that possibility of a strike.”

However, as the Bangor Daily News reported this week, it’s unlikely longshore workers will strike in Maine because no USMX ships call here.

“The strike will not affect Portland. We will be fine,” Jack Humeniuk, Vice President of ILA Local 861, which represents 50 full-time and about 30 on-call workers on the Portland waterfront, according to the BDN.

Local 861’s contracts are with cruise ship companies and the Icelandic shipping company Eimskip at the city’s International Marine Terminal. Humeniuk told the BDN that the only scenario where a potential strike could impact Maine is if cargo ships start coming to Maine instead of strike impacted ports.

“In that case, we’d honor the strike,” Humeniuk said.