Five days before the deadline for a threatened strike of longshoremen at several dozen East and Gulf Coast ports, a letter signed by virtually every major agricultural group is asking President Joe Biden to intervene to prevent it.
A six-year agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators and employers including Maersk’s APM Terminals and SSA Marine, expires on Sept. 30.As recently as Sept. 17, an administration spokesperson said Biden would not intervene.
“Our members represent a broad collection of the agricultural and food supply chains that would be negatively impacted if the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance are unable to reach an agreement before the labor agreement expires on Sept. 30,” the letter reads. “If port operations are stopped, the impact on the ag supply chain will quickly reverberate throughout agriculture and not only slow or shut down operations, but also potentially lower farmgate prices. To prevent a disruption to port operations along the East and Gulf coasts, we request for your administration to act before a lockout or strike occurs to prevent damage to U.S. agriculture and the economy.”
The 66 signers include the American Farm Bureau Federation and groups representing fertilizer and food transport, as well as every commodity association. Copies were sent to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Julie Su, acting secretary at the Department of Labor.
David Murray can be reached at [email protected].
