Port Strikes Strike Damage to Small Businesses, Economy, and Consumers Nationwide

As of midnight on Oct. 1, tens of thousands of International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members went on strike at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts. Ahead of the strike, on Sept. 30, the U.S. Chamber called on President Biden to intervene in the contract negotiations between the ILA union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) by invoking Taft-Hartley to avoid a work stoppage that would shutter those ports.

According to a new national poll from the U.S. Chamber, a majority of American voters (57%) support the Biden Administration taking action to keep the ports open and operating while negotiations continue, while roughly 20% of those surveyed said they were opposed to federal intervention.

WY We Care: While these strikes might not be taking place on Wyoming soil, they have long-reaching impacts that harm our national economy, small businesses across the country, and consumers nationwide. Ending this strike as soon as possible will help its damages be as minimal as possible, and we encourage those involved to take action to resolve the issues at hand.