Longshoreman Union Strike Could Affect EU/UK Games Shipping To USA

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has threatened to strike if no deal can be secured before their current contract expires at midnight, September 30. Fourteen major ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast from Texas to Massachusetts would be affected by the walkout with 45,000 workers going on strike. This would be the first East Coast dock strike since 1944.

Previous disruptions in shipping in the United States had a profound impact on the tabletop gaming industry as costs skyrocketed from 2020 to 2022. While much of the shipping for the tabletop industry comes through the West Coast as manufacturing in Asia is most common, the lack of available ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast will move traffic to the West Coast, causing similar delays and issues with container availability seen during the previous shipping crisis.

Additionally, any European and UK publishers who print books in Europe and then ship to the US across the Atlantic could potentially be affected.

The affected ports would include Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York/New Jersey; Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Savannah, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; and Wilmington, Delaware.

Negotiations came to a halt in June after the ILA accused the United States Maritime Alliance, the organization representing the ports, of violating the current work contract by using automation at ports including at Mobile, Alabama. The technology, including auto-gate systems that automated the process of allowing trucks into the ports, was allegedly used to replace union labor.

The main sticking point of negotiations is salary as East Coast longshoremen earn a base wage of $39/hour, which is far less than their peers on the West Coast who earn $54.85 and will receive an increase to $60.85 in 2027. The ILA is also demanding healthcare improvements and a ban on automation replacing union labor.

A strike could impact more than 65% of all exports and over 55% of all imports in the United States, causing massive delays in product shipments with JP Morgan analysts estimating an economic impact of $5 billion per day.

More information is available via coverage from these links from Associated Press, The Guardian, CBS News, and ICv2.

 

[Scribe]

Its crazy how many of these types of strikes have come up or just bubbled up into the news this year.

 

[Abstruse]

Its crazy how many of these types of strikes have come up or just bubbled up into the news this year.

Around this time last year, UPS drivers threatened to strike and it caused an absolute panic since they're one of the largest domestic shippers and it was right as stores are stocking up for the holiday season. It's why they had Christmas stuff on the shelves in September because a bunch of chains started shipping their holiday stuff to stores months in advance just in case UPS drivers were on strike and it affected shipping so they'd still have wrapping paper and decor on the shelves. When the strike was averted thanks to a last minute deal, the stores just put everything on the shelves rather than have it take up space in what little storage area they had.

 

[GMMichael]

Previous disruptions in shipping in the United States had a profound impact on the tabletop gaming industry as costs skyrocketed from 2020 to 2022. While much of the shipping for the tabletop industry comes through the West Coast as manufacturing in Asia is most common, the lack of available ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast will move traffic to the West Coast, causing similar delays and issues with container availability seen during the previous shipping crisis.

In other news, DrivethruRPG shares are up 12.25!

The main sticking point of negotiations is salary as East Coast longshoremen earn a base wage of $39/hour, which is far less than their peers on the West Coast who earn $54.85 and will receive an increase to $60.85 in 2027. The ILA is also demanding healthcare improvements and a ban on automation replacing union labor.

So, shouldn't the subject line be,

"Underpayment of Longshoremen Could Affect EU/UK Games Shipping To USA?"​

 

[KYRON45]

It's hard to get behind someone making 80k a year being "underpaid". That's why the headline points out the strike and not the pay disparity.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

 

[agrayday]

There have been at least 30+ major strikes over the last three years with various USA unions with at least 250,000 workers participating. The ILWU just filed bankruptcy last year for illegal work stoppages. The last strikes for the ILWU were 2023 in BC, Canada, and 2014 on the Pacific Side. 2002 was the last full scale large major strike.

85K in Seattle means your an apartment renter maybe with a parking space, trying to stay above water, Or your living 2 hours away from work.

In 2014, when the Pacific Maritime Association reported that the nationwide average ILWU union member earned $147,000, the Seattle Times found that in 2013 "longshore employees" earned an average of $85,000 in Seattle and $114,000 in Tacoma, while "clerks" earned an average of $153,000 in Seattle and $159,000 in Tacoma, and "foremen" in Seattle and Tacoma averaged $204,000.The union stated that this average pay does not include "casual" (part-time) workers, who are not union members and earn a minimum of $26 per hour.

 

[Morrus]

It's hard to get behind someone making 80k a year being "underpaid". That's why the headline points out the strike and not the pay disparity.

That’s not a why the headline ‘points out the strike not the disparity’. I’d know as I wrote that headline. The headline is just the succinct headline I happened to come up with at the time. I’m sure it could include the entire contents of the article, but then it wouldn’t be a headline, it would be the article.

But also, I’d like to make a more general point (not to you specifically) that we’ll have near-zero tolerance for ‘nuance in the headline isn’t emphasised exactly how I would write it’ type commentary. That’s toxic behaviour and we are not going to attack reporters here for perceived emphasis nuance. I hope that’s clear to everybody. The topic of how the headline was written is closed.

 

[Scribe]

It's hard to get behind someone making 80k a year being "underpaid".

Cost of living in a coastal major center is not great.

 

[Koloth]

Its crazy how many of these types of strikes have come up or just bubbled up into the news this year.

Strikes for more money are more common in high inflation times. After the 2008 oops, inflation was low until Putin invaded Ukraine and oil prices spiked(US anyway). After that, unions normally have to wait until the current contract expires before they strike.