Possible ILA Strike

Recently the president of the ILA has stated that there may be a strike coming on the US west coast. While unions have been a very important part of the supply chain, they are groups of workers getting together for a cause and their actions can sometimes negatively affect the whole supply chain. In 1934 the longshoremen at the west coast ports had a huge walkout. This strike was for better working conditions and it ultimately created the longshoreman's union that we see today. This was a great day for workers because the industry had grown around them and they were not growing with it financially or otherwise. Since then the management and the unions have been trying to move in the same direction. In 2002, there was a minor dispute because management was trying to update technology and the longshoremen found it as a threat. Now it seems a similar issue is coming back. The longshoreman's union (ILA) is threatening a new strike and much of it has to do with the replacement of workers with new technology. While it is true that technology is growing, can they expect the
management to guarantee their jobs for the future? As it is, many people think that these union workers are paid extremely high so they do not have the same sympathies that they would in another case. If there is a port strike, it will no doubt be a huge upset to the shipping industry. There are so many different components to the supply chain, let's hope both sides can come to an agreement quickly.