Update: Striking dockworkers reached a tentative agreement on Thursday, Oct. 3. The International Longshoremen’s Association says its agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance Ltd. covers wages, and the parties have agreed to extend the master contract until Jan. 15, 2025, so they can continue to negotiate lingering issues. In the meantime, all workers are returning to work.
The Auto Care Association is urging the Biden Administration to work with both sides of the ongoing port strike.
The recently enacted strike involves some 45,000 dockworkers. It spans 14 ports across the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States.
“The East and Gulf Coast ports handle a significant portion of the auto care industry’s imports and exports and a prolonged strike would strain the supply chain (and) lead to billions of dollars in losses, as well as delays in the movement of goods, making it difficult for repair shops and distributors to meet demand,” Auto Care Association officials said in a recently published statement.
“In addition to the disruption at East and Gulf Coast ports, West Coast ports are also experiencing a surge in cargo, which could slow down the movement of goods in that region, as well.”
“More than four million Americans working in the auto care industry count on the steady flow of automotive parts and products through our ports each day to do their jobs,” says Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association.
“Each day that this strike continues, not only does our industry lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in business, but the nearly 300 million Americans who drive are more at risk on the road as access to service and repair of their vehicles diminishes.
"We are calling on the Biden Administration to take all possible and appropriate steps to facilitate a resolution between the two parties so that Americans across the country can get back to work safely.”
U.S. automotive parts exports and imports represent $51.2 billion and $138.9 billion, respectively, according to the Auto Care Association, which adds that “U.S. automotive aftermarket businesses are at risk of losing up to nearly $340 million each day the strike prevents imports from being delivered.”
