About 25 thousand ILA dockworkers, rejecting offer of 50% wage increase spread over 5 years, have gone out on strike (an economic crisis) against United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) demanding no further automation of equipment and up to 77% wage increase spread over the length of the contract.
The expired contract provided:
$20/hr. for years one & two, $24.75/hr. for year three, $31.90/hr. for years four & five and $39/hr. for the sixth year.
The new union demand is for no automation and wages of
$44/hr. year one, $49/hr. year two, $54/hr. year three, $59/hr. year four, $64/hr. year five.
The ILA claim of multi-million-dollar container handling derricks at $20/hr. seems challenged by the commonsense approach of not having the least paid, least experienced worker on that equipment. The thorny part of the contract centers on the prohibition of automation which offers economy, efficiency, or worker safety in operations to a degree that warrants the expense of implementation. It seems illogical for workers to oppose automation that improves safety, but ILA position remains unclear on that point.
Viewing the automobile industry as an example, the usual effect of automation is a reduced work staff having higher responsibility and corresponding higher pay. The path of Al and automation is clearly in view with ever increasing participation at every level offering economic savings, efficiency of operations, and safety in the environment of the work site. The resulting problem of displaced workers continuing further employment centers on their ability and willingness to retrain and qualify for jobs in expanding fields such as health services and even technology and automation which caused their displacement.
Given the inevitable and unstoppable push toward Al automation the gorilla in the room becomes how to equitably distribute the eventual increased production of goods and services by the future world of near total automation.
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