Author: Caroline Berry

Agricultural trade groups, including the American Cotton Shippers Association, have urged President Biden and President-elect Trump to address labor disputes at East and Gulf Coast ports. In letters sent yesterday, the group highlighted the urgency of a new agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance before the contract expires on January 15, 2025. The groups warned that prolonged shutdowns could disrupt $1.4 billion in weekly agricultural trade, with 40% of U.S. agricultural exports dependent on these ports, and harm U.S. competitiveness.

Letter to President Biden here.

Letter to President-elect Trump here.

Please use the link below for a glance at the upcoming events for the week of December 16.

Document here.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025.

Late yesterday, President-elect Trump posted a statement, voicing his support for the ILA’s position on automation. Post here.

The ILA posted the statement on its Facebook page. Statement here. The statement was released after President-elect Trump met with ILA executives.

The USMX issued a statement in response to President-elect Trump. Statement here.

The coalition letter sent last week discussed the need for automation and modernization the ports. Letter here.

Articles of Interest

• Trump Expresses Support for U.S. Dockworkers, Wall Street Journal (12/12)
• Trump appears to side with union in port contract dispute, Axios (12/12)
• Trump sides with dockworkers preparing to strike over automation, Washington Post (12/12)
• Trump backs ILA in port labor standoff, American Shipper (12/12)
• Trump Backs US Dockworkers Poised to Strike Over Automation, Bloomberg (12/12)
• Donald Trump Supports ILA Leadership in Fight Over Port Automation, Maritime Executive (12/12)
• Trump Backs Longshoremen in Port Automation Dispute as January Strike Deadline Looms, gCaptain (12/12)

On October 28, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) held a briefing on the coordinated inter-agency response to the agricultural impact of Hurricane Helene. See below for takeaways, discussion points, and other details.

More here.

Today, a letter was sent to President Biden, signed by the American Cotton Shippers Association and more than 270 other local, state, and federal trade associations. The letter urged President Biden and his administration to use all of its authorities to end the port strike, get the ports open, and get the parties back to the negotiating table.

Letter here.

The American Cotton Shippers Association and almost 200 other organizations sent a letter to President Biden today, urging the Administration to “urgently pursue all avenues to mitigate the supply chain challenges facing U.S. agriculture.” With a significant portion of the U.S. cotton crop being exported out of the East Coast and Gulf Coast, a port strike would be detrimental to our ability to get U.S. cotton to our international customers.

Letter here.

Today, the American Cotton Shippers and 55 other agricultural stakeholders sent a letter to the Biden administration asking them to “act before a lockout or strike occurs to prevent damage to U.S. agriculture and the economy.”

Letter here.