President-elect of the United States Donald Trump made headlines Thursday by throwing its support behind the 45,000 unionized dockworkers along the Eastern and Gulf coasts, whose collective negotiations have stalled over the contentious issue of automation, as Reuters reports. Following his meeting with the International Longshore Association and its President, Harold Daggett, and Executive Vice President, Dennis Daggett, the former President spoke to Truth Social and shared a message highlighting his commitment to stand with workers and ensure their jobs remain secure. of technological change.

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Trump supports American workers amid automation

On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I just finished a meeting with the International Longshore Association and its President, Harold Daggett, and Executive Vice President, Dennis Daggett. There has been a lot of talk about “automation” on American docks. He continues: “I studied automation and know pretty much everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved does not come close to equaling the distress, suffering and harm it causes to American workers, in this case our longshoremen.

Trump pointed out that “foreign companies have made a fortune in the United States by giving them access to our markets. They should not be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are affected. They have record profits, and I would rather these foreign companies spend them on the great men and women of our docks, rather than on the machines, which are expensive and will constantly have to be replaced. At the end of the day, it doesn’t do them any good and I hope they understand how important this is to me.”

The president-elect urged foreign companies to prioritize American workers over job automation. He wrote: “To have the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American workers, instead of laying them off and sending those profits back to foreign countries. ” Trump concluded in a public forum message with: “It’s time to put America first! »

For-profit employers with access to the U.S. market that are mentioned in Trump’s message include the U.S. operations of Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping Company, Denmark’s Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), and China’s COSCO Shipping ( 2603.TW), as reported by Reuters. . Read the original article on Truth Social here.

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ILA President expresses gratitude to Trump

In a separate message, Dagget expressed appreciation for the support shown by the former president. The message also included Vice President Dennis’ hope that Trump’s speech would encourage the USMX to stop introducing ideas about automated or semi-automated equipment into its future proposals.

The USMX said in a statement: “It is clear that President-elect Trump, the USMX and the ILA all share the goal of protecting and creating good-paying American jobs at our ports. » Meanwhile, employers said: “We need modern, proven technology to improve worker safety, increase port efficiency, increase port capacity and strengthen our supply chains” , adding that dockworkers earn more money when seaports handle a greater volume of goods due to their wages. is often linked to the amount of work they do, as Reuters reports.

The ILA and USMX have until January 15 to reach an agreement on their labor negotiations, which have been delayed due to disagreements over automation. This deadline falls just five days before Trump’s inauguration as president.