For Immediate Release: October 1st, 2024
Contact: press@socialists.nyc

STATEMENT: NYC-DSA STANDS WITH STRIKING EAST COAST ILA DOCKWORKERS

New York, NY – New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) is in solidarity with the 47,000 dockworkers of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on strike for a strong contract, job security, and dignity at major ports across the East Coast.

This includes piers in Jersey City/Bayonne, Elizabeth/Newark, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, all part of the Port of New York and New Jersey, which is the largest container port on the East Coast and the second largest in the US. While Governor Hochul has “urge[d both sides] to come to an agreement that respects workers [and] ensures the flow of commerce”, NYC-DSA is clear that the blame for any potential supply chain disruptions falls squarely on shipping companies that continued to put profit over people until their workers said “enough”.

Corporate greed. This strike follows shipping companies’ refusal to ensure job security or meaningful wage increases while generating record profits. Many companies in the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have seen revenues rise over 50% since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Maersk alone raking in $10 billion in 2023. Economists have identified increased corporate profit margins and price gouging as disproportionate contributors to the so-called “greedflation” of the past four years, while wages have not kept pace. To further shrink overhead, USMX ocean carriers are now using automation to eliminate thousands of jobs and illegally break union contracts by implementing cranes, trucks, and gates that don’t require an operator.

Technological advances for whom? This trend mirrors employer practices across industries, where technological advances benefit wealthy employers and shareholders while leaving workers behind. NYC-DSA recently supported WGA and SAG-AFTRA workers in their strikes against the abuse of artificial intelligence in entertainment, and UAW workers fighting for union recognition in new electric vehicle plants. Now, we stand with ILA workers against the use of technology that prioritizes corporate profits over making jobs easier, safer, and better compensated in relation to productivity increases.

The ILA fight is not just the fight of these dockworkers, but the fight of all workers in New York and New Jersey, the Eastern Seaboard, the US, and around the world. Solidarity forever.

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ABOUT NYC-DSA: New York City Democratic Socialists is the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America—the largest socialist organization in the United States with over 85,000 members. NYC-DSA is run by its 6,000+ members and activists who are working together to build a democratic socialist organization in the five boroughs.