Strike looms over Port of Baltimore as wage negotiations reach crisis point

BALTIMORE -- A 6-year contract between a dockworkers union and shipping companies expires at the end of the month, and labor leaders say they are closer than ever to their first strike in 50 years. 

This would affect ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, upend the global supply chain, and put thousands of Baltimore area residents out of work. 

This comes just months after the Port of Baltimore had to pivot in the wake of the Key Bridge collapse. 

The International Longshoreman's Association (ILA) represents port workers across the country, including organizations here in the Port of Baltimore. 

They say their job is critical to port operations and want to start seeing fair compensation for the work they do every day. 

"Mark my words, we'll shut them down October 1 if we don't get the kind of wages we deserve," Harold Daggett, President of the ILA said. 

In a video released to YouTube by the ILA, which represents three local organizations operating in the Port of Baltimore, the President and Vice President of the ILA say a 6-year contract between the dockworkers union and shipping companies expires at the end of the month. 

If they don't reach an agreement on wages they'll go on strike. 

"They need to get serious about us, and sitting down at the table, and negotiating a fair and just contract," Dennis Daggett, Executive Vice President of the ILA said. 
 
Another major concern is automation he said. 

In March, a portion of the port was shut down after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing work to a screeching halt for those whose livelihood depended on the port, and millions of dollars in lost wages. 

The Maryland Port Administration, which oversees the port, says officials are "closely monitoring" the talks, saying in a statement, "We implore both sides to come together and negotiate an agreement that compensates the men and women of the ILA while maintaining cost-effective and efficient cargo flow." 

The shipping companies and dock operators are represented by the United States Maritime Alliance. 

Both sides are supposed to be sitting down to discuss contract negotiations this week in hopes of averting a strike.