Trump backs dockworkers' union preparing to strike over automation

President-elect Trump backed the dockworkers' union as it prepares for a strike over automation in mid-January — right before the former president is set to return to the Oval Office.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social Thursday that he had just met with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), its president, Harold Daggett, and executive vice president, Dennis Daggett.

"There has been a lot of discussion having to do with 'automation' on United States docks. I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen," Trump wrote in the post.

Automation is loosely defined as the use of technology to carry out tasks with less human involvement. At ports, this could look like swapping out manually-operated diesel cranes with electric, remotely controlled cranes.  

The union, which represents more than 40,000 dockworkers, went on strike for three days in October over automation as many wondered if robots would replace them at their jobs. The ILA’s old contract included a provision requiring the union’s permission for ports to add any automation, but at the time the union sought “airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation,” Harold Daggett had said.  

The strike was suspended, however, when the Biden administration helped reach a deal that extends their contract to Jan. 15, as reported by The Washington Post.

The Associated Press reported that a "prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas" — which could be of concern for Trump, who largely campaigned on the promise of lowering costs and keeping inflation down.

The Washington Post reported that analysts have said that the strike could cost the U.S. economy as much as $1 billion per day.