For the first time since 1977, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has gone on strike. At midnight on October 1, 47,000 dockworkers walked off the job at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, including important logistical centers like Baltimore; Boston; Charleston, South Carolina; Houston; Jacksonville; Miami; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans; New York/New Jersey; Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia; Savannah, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; and Wilmington, Delaware.
[Originally published at communistusa.org]
Victory for dockworkers will be a victory for all workers
Having worked through the COVID pandemic, dockworkers are now struggling with inflation and job losses due to automation. The ILA is demanding job protection and a 77% raise over a six year contract. In the last six years, the cumulative inflation rate was more than 27%. Who can tell what the next 6 years will bring?
Well aware of their power, the ILA workers voted to strike—hitting the bosses in their pocketbooks, which is the only way for workers to win / Image: ILA, Facebook
The shipping magnates, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), won’t budge. The shipping and logistics companies raked in $400 billion in profits between 2020 and 2023. But for the class enemy, billions in profits are never enough, and wages are always too high. Unfortunately for them, without exploiting workers, they can’t make any profits at all. Well aware of this power, the ILA workers decided to withhold their labor in a strike—hitting the bosses in their pocketbooks, which is the only way for workers to win.
A clear victory for dockworkers would be a victory for workers everywhere. Wages and jobs are under attack the world over. A win for ILA workers through militant strike action could light the way forward for the entire labor movement.
The Democrats’ electoral calculations
Despite pressure from the capitalists, Joe Biden has not, so far, invoked the reactionary Taft-Hartley Act to force a “cooling-off period” that would suspend any strike action for 80 days. But workers should beware! The key phrase is “so far.” Biden is trying his best to appear “neutral,” but Democratic and Republican politicians are always on the bosses’ side—as Biden, the Democrats, and “the Squad” showed when they united with Republicans to strip rail workers of the right to strike in 2022!
With the presidential race entering its final weeks, the ailing Democrat doesn’t want to risk infuriating union members by openly attacking the right to strike once again. He knows his would-be successor, Kamala Harris, can ill afford to lose union votes—especially after the Teamsters refused to endorse either candidate.
Capitalist media propaganda
Already, capitalist media outlets are lining up against the striking workers, crying that the port strike will paralyze the economy, cause inflation and more supply chain shortages, and hamper holiday shopping.
Let’s be clear: it is the capitalists who cause inflation, supply chain shortages, and unemployment. They bungled the pandemic and printed trillions of dollars to bail out their rotten system. They force workers to compete for artificially scarce jobs at low pay. No one should believe the hue and cry of their lackeys in the capitalist press and media. Workers make the world run, and workers should run the world. That is why communists across the globe support the dockworkers in their struggle.
Time for a workers’ offensive
The capitalist media are lamenting that the ILA went on strike at “the worst possible time.” In reality, now is the best possible time for unions to launch a strategic offensive / Image: fair use
The election is five weeks away. Holiday shopping is picking up. The Panama Canal is slowing down traffic due to drought. Houthi missiles are forcing ships to avoid the Red Sea, gateway to the Suez Canal. These factors led Business Insider to declare, “Dockworkers just went on strike at the worst possible time.” But the opposite is the case. Now is the best possible time for unions to launch a strategic offensive.
So far, the ILA leadership is playing a cautious role, trying to “leverage” these advantages at the negotiating table rather than use them to launch an all-out fight against the bosses.
Most glaringly, union dockworkers will continue to handle military cargo during the strike. In the words of ILA President Harold Daggett, “ILA also means ‘I Love America’ … We will proudly continue to work all military shipments … even if we are engaged in a strike.” This is a massive mistake, giving away important leverage to the bosses.
The struggle for better wages and job security should not be artificially separated from the fight against imperialism and war. While the ruling class spends billions on bombs and bullets, they’re cutting back on libraries, schools, and hospitals. The American war machine’s massive spending on arms production is a key cause of inflation—one of the main reasons the ILA workers are striking. The strike is an opportunity to point all this out and start fighting back.
How dockworkers can win
The 47,000 striking dockworkers represent just over .01% of the American population. These 47,000 are forcing the entire world shipping industry to reroute its traffic. This is the immense power that a tiny section of the workforce has in its hands.
But why should the dockers fight alone? The issues facing dockworkers, like the cost of living crisis, affect the entire working class. Unemployment caused by automation is an issue facing many workers, not just ILA members. The union leaders should demand not only pay increases and no layoffs, but also a shorter work week with no loss in pay and staffing levels that, at the very least, maintain the present workforce. Such demands would be popular with the overwhelming majority of American workers and would be the basis for expanding the struggle.
ILA President Harold Daggett said ILA members “will proudly continue to work all military shipments” during the strike / Image: ILA, Facebook
The ILA leadership should start with a concerted effort to link up with other unions across the country, starting with striking workers at Boeing—another key link in the global supply chain. The ILA should also reach out to the rail workers who were banned from striking two years ago.
In addition, West Coast dockworkers, organized in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), have pledged their solidarity—in words. They should back this up with action. Instead of continuing to work, the ILWU should strike simultaneously with the ILA to paralyze all American ports.
The union leaders should also reach out to the Teamsters and UAW, two unions whose new leaders have been more vocally militant as of late. UAW President Shawn Fain has even called for a general strike in 2028—but why wait?
If all these unions worked in concert, they could not only go on strike, but also launch a massive campaign to organize the unorganized. Almost 70% of Americans support unions, but only about 10% of Americans are organized in unions. An all-out struggle combining the forces of the ILA, ILWU, UAW, Teamsters, and rail workers could change that by bringing unorganized workers into the fight.
This type of militant action would paralyze international trade and raise the question, “Who rules?” It would transform the strike from a fight for job protection and higher wages, into a struggle for workers’ control and an end to imperialist war.
The RCA stands in complete solidarity with the ILA workers! The capitalist class has determined leaders to represent their interest. The working-class majority needs leaders even more farsighted and determined! We aim to build a party of trained communists to carry this strategic perspective into every union and workplace. With a communist program and leadership, nothing can stop the working class.
Victory to the ILA workers!
Victory to the working class!