Here’s Everything You Need To Know About A Potential Dockworkers Strike

About 45,000 dockworkers will walk off the job on Tuesday if port ownership does not meet the union’s demands on wages and port automation, shuttering 36 ports on the East and Gulf Coasts.

If they do, Americans could experience supply chain disruptions through Election Day and well into the holiday season.

The Daily Wire has been covering the coming strike, from the details of the contract dispute and how it could disrupt supply chains, to information about the colorful Democratic head of the dock workers union and his clash with President Joe Biden, who refuses to block the strike.

Here’s everything you need to know before the strike begins.

 

Why the Dockworkers Strike Could Impact You

In the latest episode of FACTS, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro takes a look at the recent dockworkers’ strike, setting the stage for a broader exploration of the history of strikes in America. He examines the motivations behind these labor actions, their impacts on the economy, and how they have shaped American history. Join Ben as he explores the significance of strikes, illuminating key moments, influential figures, and important laws, while discussing how these developments can affect your life today.

WATCH: Ben Shapiro Explains Why the Dockworkers Strike Could Impact You

 

The Strike Comes After Months of Contentious Negotiations.

Negotiations broke down in June between the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents about 85,000 dock workers nationwide, and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port management. The two sides are in a stalemate over both wages and the automation of port operations.

READ MORE: Here’s How A Dock Worker Strike Could Upend The Economy — And The Election

 

A Strike Could Impact Everything From Coffee to Christmas Trees.

About three-quarters of banana imports to the U.S. arrive at ports that would be affected by a strike, as would pharmaceutical imports — a third of which are routed through the port in Charleston, South Carolina. The National Tree Company, which sells artificial Christmas trees and other decorations, has rushed to import goods early to beat the strike, but expects to see 15% of its goods stranded if a port strike happens.

READ MORE: From Coffee to Christmas Trees, Here’s What A Dock Workers Strike Would Disrupt

 

The Dockworker’s Union Has Given $8 million to Democrats.

The ILA has donated more than $1.6 million to Democrats on Harold Daggett’s watch, and more than $8 million to Democrats in total. Federal prosecutors in 2004 alleged a mob conspiracy to elect Daggett head of the union, and the leader is still suspected in a separate but related racketeering case that also involves the mob.

READ MORE: Dem Donor Union Boss With Alleged Mob Ties Fights Biden Over Dock Worker Strike

 

Biden May Let the Strike Happen to Hurt Kamala.

Presidents have the authority to block strikes that could pose national security problems, but the White House is adamant that Biden will not intervene. Some say his inaction is retribution for Harris’s role in ousting him from the presidential ticket, while others think he’s trying to appease a powerful union as union membership abandons Democrats in droves.

READ MORE: A Dock Worker Strike Could Cost Kamala The White House. Why Won’t Biden Stop It?

Kamala Plays Border Hawk In First Border Visit As Democratic Nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris, who has overseen an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration during her time in office, sought to present herself as a border hawk on Friday as she visited the southern border for the first time since being handed the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Beginning her Arizona speech, Harris presented herself as tough on immigration, saying “the United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them.”

“And I take that responsibility very seriously,” she added.

Harris continued, saying that American is “a nation of immigrants,” and as such pains must be taken to reform the immigration system so that it functions properly and “makes our country stronger.”

Despite her recent attempt to appear tough on illegal immigration, Harris has presided over an unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants into the United States as vice president.

As The Daily Wire reported, more than 10 million people have crossed the border under the Biden-Harris administration, with an estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrant gotaways recorded since President Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021. This is in contrast to the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 during President Donald Trump’s administration, which reported a total of 415,000 reported gotaways.

Harris also visited Trump’s border wall, which in 2019 she called a “medieval vanity project.” In 2020, she said the border wall was a “waste of taxpayer money and won’t make us any safer.”

Kamala: “President Trump’s wall is a racist vanity project.”

Kamala Harris after looking at her poll numbers on border security: pic.twitter.com/3cLJpdk6oO

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 27, 2024

The vice president added during her Arizona speech that she supports the recent border security bill, a controversial bipartisan plan that faced intense criticism from many Republicans, and would, according to The Heritage Foundation, codify “crisis levels of daily illegal immigration” and make it difficult for a future president to deal with the issue.

Harris continued: “On behalf of all, across our nation, who want to see these problems solved, I say, we cannot accept Donald Trump’s failure to lead, we should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions … or rhetoric instead of results.”

Despite promises to stand tough on illegal immigration, the Biden-Harris administration ended many Trump administration policies that restricted the flow of immigration into the United States, including the Remain in Mexico policy, Title 42, and Proclamation 9844, among others.