Trump backs dockworkers in fight over automation

US president-elect says savings from automation are not worth the ‘distress, hurt, and harm’ caused to workers.

United States President-elect Donald Trump has thrown his support behind union dockworkers who are at an impasse with their employer over the use of automation.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) have until January 15 to agree on a new contract, after the sides reached a temporary deal in October.

The deal, which was brokered under intense pressure from the administration of President Joe Biden, brought an end to a three-day strike that crippled operations at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, but left the contentious use of semi-automated cranes unresolved.

Trump on Thursday signalled his support for the workers’ stance following a meeting with Harold Daggett, the president of ILA, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president.

“I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Trump said that foreign shipping firms had “made a fortune” through their access to the US market and should hire more American workers.

“They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt. They’ve got record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women on our docks than machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced. In the end, there’s no gain for them, and I hope that they will understand how important an issue this is for me,” he said.

Much as his support of tariffs and scepticism of interventionist foreign policy marked him out from traditional Republicans, Trump’s remarks are a departure from his party’s longstanding support of businesses over unions.

The ILA argues that automation destroys jobs, while USMX contends that modernisation is necessary to keep US ports competitive.

USMX said in a statement after Trump’s remarks that it looked forward to working with the incoming administration to strengthen supply chains and support jobs.

“It’s clear President-elect Trump, USMX, and the ILA all share the goal of protecting and adding good-paying American jobs at our ports. But this contract goes beyond our ports – it is about supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products,” the employer group said.

“To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains. ILA members’ compensation increases with the more goods they move – the greater capacity our ports have and goods that are moved means more money in their pockets.”