by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Port automation proves to be, once again, a tough cookie to crack on the US East Coast.

Last month, this central topic was one of the main reasons leading talks to break off between the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA).

Each party issued a statement to clarify its viewpoint on the topic only a few weeks ahead of potential renewed strikes in mid-January.

Below is a brief overview of the two parties' perspectives using direct quotes from their statements.

International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) perspective

Job security: "The ILA is not against progress, innovation, or modernization-but we cannot support technology that jeopardizes jobs, threatens national security, and puts the future of the workforce at risk."

Historical context: The ILA says that in the early 2000s, the New Technology clause, which was added to the Master Contract, "required employers to file a letter of intent 120 days before implementing new equipment."

"However, after that notice was filed, employers essentially had free rein to unilaterally introduce whatever they wanted, without protecting the job functions or the roles of the workforce."

The union adds, "In the 1960s and 1970s, containerization revolutionized the industry, and we saw our workforce shrink from 50,000 to just 4,500 in the Port of New York and New Jersey."

Current concerns: "Today, employers are pushing to expand RMGs (rail-mounted gantry cranes), claiming they are only 'semi-automated' and necessary for safety and productivity," says the union. However, it claims that "95% of the work performed by RMGs is fully automated."

"Only in the last six feet of the container’s journey on the landside, when it is placed on a truck chassis, does an operator step in."

Security concerns: The union believes that ports dependent on automation become vulnerable to cyberattacks.

"Ports rely on interconnected systems that are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. A single “glitch” can halt operations, as we’ve already seen with recent shutdowns at major ports."

US Maritime Alliance (USMX) perspective

Modernisation as a necessity: Employers say, "Port operations must evolve, and embracing modern technology is critical to this evolution. It means improving performance to move more cargo more efficiently through existing facilities."

"Due to the lack of available new land in most ports, the only way for US East and Gulf Coast ports to handle more volume is to densify terminals – enabling the movement of more cargo through their existing footprints."

"Our priority has been, and continues to be, using technology to improve our efficiency, safety, capacity, and productivity."

Increased capacity and job creation: The USMX claims that adding modern crane technologies increased capacity and volumes.

"The added capacity delivered an equal increase in hours worked, leading to more union jobs, as the terminal went from employing approximately 600 workers a day to nearly 1,200."

"Moving more containers through the existing terminal footprints also means higher wages from the increased cargo, bringing in more money for volume/tonnage bonuses."

Economic benefits: "We need to ensure we are strengthening an increasingly complex supply chain and supporting port resilience to weather disruptions or surges in trade volumes, so that we are facilitating robust growth across the U.S. economy."

Kuehne+Nagel continues to monitor the situation closely and will report updates as soon as they become available.