However, the unions are facing different challenges from the companies as well as from the policymaker at the current time. Based on the above-discussed challenges some of the major challenges are as follows;
- Anti-union legislation – Some states are passing laws that make it harder for workers to organize and strike.
- Corporate union-busting tactics – Shipping companies hire high-paid consultants to discourage union membership.
- Automation and outsourcing – Companies continue to find ways to cut labor costs by using technology and relocating operations to ports with weaker labor protections.
It is, therefore, imperative that unions increase their efforts to secure workers’ rights in an advancing industry.
Why Stronger Union Protections Are More Important Than Ever
The growth and development in the shipping and logistics industry cannot be overemphasized but the workers should not be left behind. Realistic unions guarantee that the people who sustain America’s ports receive decent wages, are valued, and have a promising future in the human resource industry.
If unions were not there, then companies would have full authority to reduce wages, replace workers with technology, and even remove basic benefits. It is crucial to support ILWU, ILA, and Teamsters Union’s power to maintain fair labor practices in the United States’ ports.
In the following section, we will discuss how the corporate and governmental activities are leading to changes in port labor and what needs to be done to safeguard employees’ rights.
Corporate Influence and Government Policies: The Ongoing Battle for Workers’ Rights
The struggle for equality in the port and shipping industry is not only the struggle between the employees and employers, it is also the political and legal struggle. Employers are most often large corporations, shipping or logistic companies, who rely on lobbying, legal manipulations or political influence to undermine employees’ rights and gain the most profit out of them. However, welfare of longshoremen, harbor workers, and port truck drivers depends with the provision of government policies at state and federal levels.