Maryland industry weighs effects of longshore strike

BALTIMORE — Tens of thousands of longshoremen across the country are on strike, including at the Port of Baltimore, effectively halting operations.

Workers, who picketed all day on Tuesday, are demanding a pay raise and a ban on automation.

Industries in Maryland are considering the potential impact of a strike on their workplaces.

For soybean farmers in the state, it’s harvest time. Residents in counties such as Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick use the port to ship crops to their destinations.

“If it weren’t for today’s weather, we would be harvesting soybeans today,” said David Burrier, a Frederick County farmer and the county’s vice president of agriculture.

“We have to keep these seeds in constant motion,” Burrier explained. “Every day the beans have to move because we don’t have enough space to store our crops. That’s why work continues every day. If this happens again, they will also strengthen the harvest.”

ILA Local 333 in Baltimore declined WMAR’s request for an on-camera interview. The union itself said Monday that the American Maritime Alliance is offering them “unacceptable pay, which they refuse.” The Maritime Association said it had asked for an extension of the current framework agreement and that it would increase wages by approximately 50 percent in its recent offer.

Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association in Annapolis, says if you’re looking for a new car now, you probably won’t see any difference in light of the strike at the port, which is taking a significant number of cars.

Short-term impacts are likely to be minimal due to stockpiles. The long-term effects, Kitzmiller told WMAR, may be a different story.

​“There will be problems at some point due to the large number of vehicles coming through Baltimore, but also the rest of the East Coast. It can certainly have an impact. But again, short term, if you’re looking for a new car, it won’t have any impact,” Kitzmiller told WMAR.

Some manufacturers, Kitzmiller explained, are shipping significantly more vehicles to East Coast ports, which would have a disproportionate impact on these franchises.

The longshoremen’s union says it intends to continue demonstrating around the clock “for as long as necessary” for the U.S. Maritime Alliance to meet its demands.

RELATED: Baltimore Port Workers Join Nationwide Strike, Likely Leading to Massive Shipping Delays and Goods Shortages