Tag Archives: pay raises

The Strikers Are Looking In The Wrong Direction

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On Tuesday, The New York Post posted an article about the east coast port strike. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has gone on strike requesting (according to MSN) a major increase in wages and limited automation.

MSN quotes CNN:

The ILA reportedly opened the talks by asking for a 77% pay raise for its members over the six years the new contract would cover. The union said this amount was necessary due to inflation and years of insufficient pay raises. By Monday, USMX had counteroffered with a 50% pay raise over six years.

But the pay raise isn’t the only issue. The ILA wants a ban on all automation at docks, which it says could put some of its members out of work. However, the USMX only offered to keep the existing limits on automation that the old contract covered.

As a result of these discrepancies, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement before the previous contract expired, and thus the strike began just after midnight.

The New York Post article focused on the leader of the union:

Fiery union boss Harold Daggett has long cast himself as a staunch advocate for blue-collar workers, even as he has lived in luxury, owning a yacht and driving a Bentley — and fought off alleged ties to the Mafia.

Sporting a polo shirt with a chunky gold medallion around his neck, the 78-year-old Daggett, who as president of the International Longshoremen’s Association is leading the port strikes stretching from Maine to Texas, was prone to theatrical flourishes in a September interview as he geared up for the strike.

“They’re gonna be like this,” Daggett said, grabbing his neck in a choking gesture. “I’ll cripple you. I will cripple you and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does.”

…Meanwhile, Daggett — has worked at the ILA for 57 years and took the helm as president in 2011 — raked in $728,000 in compensation last year from the ILA.

He collected another $173,000 as president emeritus of a local union branch, according to labor department filings.

He lives in a 7,136 square-foot house valued at $1.7 million on a 10-acre lot in Sparta, New Jersey, according to Zillow and NJ Property Records.

It seems to me that the dock workers need to take a really good look at their union leadership before following Daggett too far off the cliff.

 

Honoring The People Who Pay You–Not The People Who Protect You

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On Tuesday, The Daily Caller reported:

The Biden administration “strongly opposes” a proposal to raise the pay of junior enlisted service members in the military — even after nearly spending seven times the proposed amount on Ukraine and the broader region’s security.

The House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would give all junior troops a pay raise, representing a rough total of $24.4 billion over five years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Biden administration said in a statement on Tuesday that it does not support the proposed “significant, permanent” pay hike until it has had a chance to conduct a compensation review.

“The Administration is strongly committed to taking care of our Servicemembers and their families, and appreciates the Committee’s concern for the needs of the most junior enlisted members, but strongly opposes making a significant, permanent change to the basic pay schedule before the completion of the Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation,” the White House budget office said.

The article concludes:

“Joe Biden must hate our military,” Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, also on the committee, told the DCNF. “While families of our junior enlisted struggle on food stamps, this administration opposes their pay raises and wants to force-feed them pronoun training and drag queen story hour. If Biden had any PRIDE at all in our troops, he’d support the long overdue pay raise House Republicans have passed.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ukraine is a fantastic money-laundering tool for Democrat (and some Republican) campaigns. It is an almost unlimited source of funds for American politicians. It also provides the President of Ukraine with a lifestyle that is unimaginable to his countrymen. It may be time to unelect every Congressman who has voted continuously for Ukrainian aid.