01:53Dozens of dockworkers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union staged a protest in New Jersey on Tuesday to demand fair wages and to voice their opposition to automation after negotiations with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group fell through.
"We didn't want to go on strike but we had no alternative, negotiations stopped in June," dock worker and protester Patt Blair said.
He claimed that the union was in "very good hands with our negotiation committee and I think we'll be very successful in our next contract". The protest coincides with a walkout of dock workers in 36 ports on the East Coast from Maine to New Jersey. It marks the first strike of the union since 1977.
Footage shows protesters holding signs reading ‘Profit over people is unacceptable: Support ILA workers', 'Corporate greed vs workers rights: ILA demands fairness' and 'No work without a fair contract', among others. It also features the docks and parked trucks as demonstrators announced halting operations until their demands are met.
According to media reports, the ILA, which represents 45,000 port workers, negotiated with the USMX for a new six-year contract ahead of the Monday night deadline.
Subsequently, the ILA said in a statement that it would shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01 local time (04:01 GMT) after rejecting USMX's final offer, adding it fell "far short of the demands of its members to ratify a new contract".
The USMX said in a statement on Monday it had offered to increase wages by nearly 50 percent, up from a prior proposal. However, the union demands a 61.5 percent pay rise, according to media reports.
Economic experts stated that the strike could cost the American economy billions of US dollars as shipments are disrupted from busy terminals.
'We had no alternative' - Supply lines disrupted as New Jersey dockworkers join strikes across East Coast ports
Dozens of dockworkers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union staged a protest in New Jersey on Tuesday to demand fair wages and to voice their opposition to automation after negotiations with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group fell through.
"We didn't want to go on strike but we had no alternative, negotiations stopped in June," dock worker and protester Patt Blair said.
He claimed that the union was in "very good hands with our negotiation committee and I think we'll be very successful in our next contract". The protest coincides with a walkout of dock workers in 36 ports on the East Coast from Maine to New Jersey. It marks the first strike of the union since 1977.
Footage shows protesters holding signs reading ‘Profit over people is unacceptable: Support ILA workers', 'Corporate greed vs workers rights: ILA demands fairness' and 'No work without a fair contract', among others. It also features the docks and parked trucks as demonstrators announced halting operations until their demands are met.
According to media reports, the ILA, which represents 45,000 port workers, negotiated with the USMX for a new six-year contract ahead of the Monday night deadline.
Subsequently, the ILA said in a statement that it would shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01 local time (04:01 GMT) after rejecting USMX's final offer, adding it fell "far short of the demands of its members to ratify a new contract".
The USMX said in a statement on Monday it had offered to increase wages by nearly 50 percent, up from a prior proposal. However, the union demands a 61.5 percent pay rise, according to media reports.
Economic experts stated that the strike could cost the American economy billions of US dollars as shipments are disrupted from busy terminals.
Dozens of dockworkers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union staged a protest in New Jersey on Tuesday to demand fair wages and to voice their opposition to automation after negotiations with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group fell through.
"We didn't want to go on strike but we had no alternative, negotiations stopped in June," dock worker and protester Patt Blair said.
He claimed that the union was in "very good hands with our negotiation committee and I think we'll be very successful in our next contract". The protest coincides with a walkout of dock workers in 36 ports on the East Coast from Maine to New Jersey. It marks the first strike of the union since 1977.
Footage shows protesters holding signs reading ‘Profit over people is unacceptable: Support ILA workers', 'Corporate greed vs workers rights: ILA demands fairness' and 'No work without a fair contract', among others. It also features the docks and parked trucks as demonstrators announced halting operations until their demands are met.
According to media reports, the ILA, which represents 45,000 port workers, negotiated with the USMX for a new six-year contract ahead of the Monday night deadline.
Subsequently, the ILA said in a statement that it would shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01 local time (04:01 GMT) after rejecting USMX's final offer, adding it fell "far short of the demands of its members to ratify a new contract".
The USMX said in a statement on Monday it had offered to increase wages by nearly 50 percent, up from a prior proposal. However, the union demands a 61.5 percent pay rise, according to media reports.
Economic experts stated that the strike could cost the American economy billions of US dollars as shipments are disrupted from busy terminals.