Joe Biden says prolonged US port strike would be ‘man-made disaster’
The US president says the companies controlling the ports have made ‘incredible profits’, calling on them to restart talks with dock workers
US President Joe Biden ratcheted up pressure on port employers and shipping lines to restart talks with striking dock workers, warning that the unfolding strike could turn into a “man-made disaster”.
Biden spoke about the strike that has closed every major container port on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts before leaving on a trip to survey damage from Hurricane Helene, which has left communities in the US southeast facing an economic and humanitarian crisis.
“The last thing we need on top of that is a man-made disaster: what’s going on at the ports,” Biden said on Wednesday. He said six companies control the ports and have made “incredible profits”, calling on them to restart negotiations.
It’s time “for them to sit at the table and get this strike done”, he added.
The International Longshoremen’s Association called on members to walk out early on Tuesday morning when their labour contract with the US Maritime Alliance expired. The two groups are at an impasse over wages, and perhaps a more intractable issue, automation.
