AFP Calls Out Biden-Harris Admin for Inviting Higher Prices With Lack of Leadership in Port Dispute

American families could face shipping delays, supply shortages, and even higher prices this Thanksgiving due to the ongoing strikes. For three and a half years, through their rhetoric and their actions, this Administration has encouraged and emboldened this kind of union agitation. Now, they are turning a deaf ear to the crisis and refusing to invoke their authority under the Taft-Harley Act to avert consequences for American families and workers. Harris-Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo: admitted to CNBC on the strike that “I have not been very focused on that”, while White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would only affirm that “we support collective bargaining”.

AFP Vice President of Government Affairs Akash Chougule said:

“The port strike is going to exacerbate supply chain issues and high prices for families and employers that have already been crushed by inflation. But this kind of disruptive union agitation is exactly what the ‘most pro-union admin in history’ repeatedly said it wanted more of. Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has done everything it possibly could from the Executive Branch to encourage and embolden union agitation. It may be a private dispute, but make no mistake, the port strike and its consequences are Bidenomics in action.”

AFP Policy Fellow Austen Bannan said:

“After union leaders have been empowered for over three and a half years by the Biden Harris Administration through favorable agency regulations and politically motivated NLRB actions, it is no surprise that East Coast ports are facing strikes. Union leaders at West Coast ports, in the automotive industry, in the railroad industry, and elsewhere already showed that disruptions would be embraced for union demands to be met. Not only will ‘one size fits all’ bargaining demands create heavy new costs for the port industry if met, but American ports will continue to remain among the most obsolete and least efficient in the world—a prerequisite demand by union leaders to serve their interests. The uneven playing field set to favor union leaders will apply new inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions on American families and businesses.”

AFP is urging the Administration to invoke its authority under the Taft-Harley Act and impose an 80-day cooling-off period so that workers can go back to work while negotiations continue. We encourage the Administration, the NLRB, and Congress to work toward a federal labor law regime that works better for workers and employers alike. Each day the strike continues, $5 billion of goods is held offshore. A weeklong strike will require a month or more to process goods intended for Thanksgiving and Christmas.