AAFA urges ILA to formally and swiftly return to negotiating table to reach a deal

The American Apparel & Footwear Association issues the following statement from president and CEO Steve Lamar, following President-elect Donald Trump's discussion with the ILA about U.S. ports.

"We welcome President-elect Trump's commitment to strengthening United States ports and appreciate his efforts to meet with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) President Harold Daggett and Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett. This is a crucial time for the Longshoremen and the employers to negotiate a fair and equitable labor contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) for the East and Gulf Coast ports before the Master Contract expires January 15. The Longshoremen serve as the front lines of our supply chains and are essential to our economy. We applaud their hard work.

"We urge the ILA to formally return to the negotiating table to finalize a contract with USMX that builds on the well-deserved tentative agreement of a 61.5 percent salary increase. Like our messages to President Biden, we urge President-elect Trump to continue his work to strengthen U.S. docks — by meeting with USMX and continuing work with the ILA — to secure a deal before the January 15 deadline with resolution on the issue of automation.

"The ILA has stated its members are ready and willing to be part of progress, particularly when it comes to adopting technology that promotes efficiency without replacing the human role in the task. The current contract allows for semi-automation and stipulates that no jobs or hours be lost due to technology. We feel that semi-automation is vital to ensure efficient and safe U.S ports, attract new investments, create new U.S. longshoremen jobs, and grow the U.S. economy. A disruption to the East and Gulf Coast ports from a labor strike could reduce U.S. economic activity by $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion per week. The three-day strike in October 2024 caused backlogs that lasted over a month. The East and Gulf Coast ports are used to import the majority of apparel, footwear, and travel goods. In addition to our industry, many other crucial goods are exported and imported through these ports, from life-saving pharmaceuticals to hearty American-grown produce. No one wants to see fresh food produced by hardworking American farmers rot on the docks, as they wait to be exported during a strike. In short, a disruption would threaten millions of American jobs, including 3.5 million Americans directly employed by our industry, further raise prices for every hardworking American family already suffering under high inflation, and threaten the growth of the U.S. economy itself.

"We look forward to President-elect Trump's continued leadership on the East and Gulf Coast port labor negotiations to get a deal done before January 15, so we avoid a major disruption to the American economy ahead of his inauguration on January 20."