In terms of the actual work being done, you could hardly find two occupations more dissimilar than filling prescriptions in a hospital or drug store and stevedoring the huge shipping containers that move through the country’s ports 24 hours a day.
But, ever since last spring, pharmacy workers and longshoremen on the East Coast of the U.S. have shared at least one common trait — their association with organized labor organizations whose objectives and hardball tactics too often have more to do with empowering union leaders than benefiting the rank and file.
Case in point, workers at ports from Maine to Texas staged a three-day strike the first week of October over wages and the threat posed by automation before finally settling for a 62 percent pay raise over six years.
Their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), had originally sought a 77 percent hike, while the United States Maritime Alliance (USMA), representing the ports, came to the table already offering a 50 percent hike.
The strike, impacting 36 ports on the country’s East Coast, came on the heels of supply chain breakdowns two years ago caused by a combination of the COVID pandemic and leftist politicians pandering to their Big Labor base, and this year’s walkout was clearly timed to put pressure not only on port officials but also on consumers. […]
— Read More: redstate.com
