Staff Reports
Biden’s ambitious infrastructure bill unleashed $17 billion to improve ports, promising to strengthen supply chains and boost American competitiveness—so what could go wrong? In a plot twist worthy of Hollywood, the very unions backing Biden are now throwing a wrench in the works. Instead of celebrating a golden opportunity for modernization, striking unions want to throw a massive roadblock in the form of a ban on automation. Talk about biting the hand that feeds!
The confusion surrounding the Biden administration’s priorities is as clear as mud. On one hand, there is hefty investment directed at upgrading port infrastructure, but on the other, there’s a dogged insistence from unions to maintain the status quo. The President of the National Taxpayers Union has already suggested that if the longshoremen’s union continues to block efficient automation, then perhaps taxpayers should start demanding refunds. Wouldn’t it be rich if they pressured unions to return taxpayers’ money when their demands threaten the entire bill’s intended benefits? Just imagine the union’s faces when told they might lose access to that sweet federal cash because they resist progress.
For those keeping score at home, a hidden provision in the infrastructure bill effectively gifts power to unions by explicitly prohibiting the use of federal funds for port automation. It seems a tad ironic that the same bill touted for modernization of U.S. ports now has a clause that sounds more like a cozy arrangement with union insiders. Who could have predicted that supporting union demands would come back to bite Biden in the backside? Apparently not the folks who expected infrastructure funds to streamline operations rather than shackle them.
With U.S. ports struggling to keep up with their international counterparts, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index reveals that not a single American port makes it into the top 50 worldwide. The one shining star, Charleston, ranks a dismal 53rd. It’s no wonder when one considers the pushback against automation, which American ports desperately need. Studies have shown that automated terminals significantly improve efficiency and, shockingly, even create more jobs! But try telling that to the union leaders who’d rather cling to the past like it’s some kind of prized trophy.
Updated: Biden infrastructure law gave billions to upgrade ports, now striking unions want him to stop automation https://t.co/aZBwyYZ9NN
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) October 3, 2024
As the East and Gulf Coast ports come to a grinding halt thanks to a general strike, the message from union president Harold Daggett resounds louder than a foghorn. Not only are strikers demanding sky-high wage increases, but they also want protections against automation, or the economy will be “crippled.” That kind of rhetoric does wonders for economic confidence, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, Biden’s hands-off approach, despite Republican calls to intervene and save the economy, signals a reluctance to upset his union allies, even if it jeopardizes his own infrastructure aspirations. The phrase “fairness” has rarely sounded so disingenuous.
If one thing is clear, it’s that the union-led strikes are a microcosm of the wider debate within the Democrat party: progress versus preservation. The irony is rich, as the very unions that helped push Biden into office now threaten the viability of his signature infrastructure achievements. While Biden promises a modernization of American ports, his administration’s reluctance to confront the unions means that the nation’s supply chain will continue to stumble, proving that sometimes, supporting the wrong team has very real consequences.
