(The Center Square) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a statement Tuesday evening, calling on the federal government to resolve the dockworkers’ strike incapacitating major ports along the country’s East and Gulf coasts, including the Port of Virginia.
“The time for leadership is now. President Biden has the tools to remedy this situation for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation, including utilizing provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act,” Youngkin said. “The well-being of Virginia and American workers, as well as the health of our economy, depends on a swift resolution to this strike.”
Port workers walked off the job at 12:01 am Tuesday at the expiration of a six-year master contract between the United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association. Most reports asserted that the strike affected all 36 East and Gulf Coast ports that employ some 45,000 dockworkers represented by the ILA and handle about half of the country’s ocean shipping, according to reports.
The Port of Virginia is the sixth largest container port in the nation, after the ports of Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Long Beach, Savannah and Houston.
“The Port of Virginia directly employs over 450 people, including approximately 2,600 longshoremen and around an equal number of truckers,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
“The economic fallout from the work stoppage at the Port of Virginia extends well beyond the Commonwealth, as the Port manages approximately $66 billion in essential imports, with nearly 60 percent destined for locations outside of Virginia,” Youngkin said in a statement, calling the port “a cornerstone of Virginia’s economy.”
Youngkin wrote a letter to the president and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, urging them to “take all actions under [their] authority” to stave off a strike.
ILA members at the port’s neighbor to the north, the Port of Baltimore, are also participating in the strike after the port made significant strides in recovering from the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident earlier this year.
The Maryland Port Administration would not comment on the strike beyond a statement it issued Tuesday.
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“Unfortunately, the United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association were unable to reach an agreement on a new master contract by the deadline of 11:59 pm on September 30, 2024. We continue to implore both sides to come together and negotiate an agreement that properly compensates the men and women of the ILA while maintaining cost effective and efficient cargo flows,” the administration said.
It also underscored the need for demonstrations to remain peaceful and expressed hope that an agreement would be reached.