When most people board a cruise ship, they give very little thought to all the work that goes into getting that ship ready to sail. In addition to the thousands of crew members working onboard, there are also hundreds of workers based on land doing their part to get ships ready to sail.
Longshoremen are the unsung heroes of the industry. They do a lot of the hard work needed to make your vacation happen and many passengers don't even know they exist.
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"A stevedore, longshoreman, docker or dockworker is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes," according to Salary.com.
Those workers, who are represented by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) , are poised to strike on Oct. 1.
"With 36 hours to go before the end of the ILA-USMX contract tomorrow evening, the 85,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, joined in solidarity by tens of thousands of dockworkers and maritime workers around the world, will hit the picket lines at 12:01 am on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 and strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports from Maine to Texas," the ILA posted on its Facebook page on Sept. 29.
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Image source: Pixabay
Longshoremen want more money
The ILA has made its position very clear.
"United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation where Ocean Carriers profits skyrocketed from millions to mega-billion dollars, while ILA longshore wages remained flat. ILA unity remains strong and is growing," the union shared.
A strike will mean that cargo ships will land and won't be unloaded. That could have some very noticeable repercussions for all Americans.
"The people will support you in the short term. But when empty shelves from shortages and higher prices come into play, they will turn on you. Think about those who need the construction materials to rebuild from Hurricane Helene, the people who need life-saving medications, or those who will face possible layoffs in industries such as lumber and pharmaceuticals," posted Troy William Campbell in response to the ILA Facebook post.
He does not support the strike because of the wide-ranging effects it could have.
"Food prices are already too high; this strike will make it worse. Exports will also be impacted by stopping American companies from exporting their products to other countries. I will not support a strike that will hold the economy hostage," he added.
Many commenters, however, support the union.
"Currently on strike against Boeing with my union brothers and sisters myself. I wish the ILA all the best and hope they are offered a fair contract quickly," Alicia JJ shared.
Will the strike impact cruisers?
While the strike will impact grocery store shelves and other needed areas, the ILA has two areas it will still serve. The ILA has a "No Strike Pledge" for US military cargo.
"Our U.S. Military knows that the ILA will conduct military load-out operations even if there is a strike by ILA," the union shared.
Cruise passengers also have nothing to worry about, according to ILA President Harold Daggett.
"ILA Longshore workers will continue to work Passenger Cruise vessels at all ILA ports, to not inconvenience the tens of thousands of Americans who have booked trips in advance," he said. "We understand that many families plan and pay for cruise vacations on passenger ships more than a year out, and we don’t want them to be disappointed or inconvenienced in any way.”
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Daggett also noted that his union has suffered along with the cruise industry and wants to support it.
"For almost three years during the worst of the pandemic, the cruise ship industry was shut down, and our ILA rank-and-file members handling passenger cruise vessels lost a lot of manhours,” he explained.
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