How much do dockworkers make? What to know about wages amid ILA port strike

Almost 25,000 dockworkers at various ports along the East and Gulf Coasts are striking to ask for higher pay and protections from having their jobs automated out of existence.

Marking the first such strike in almost 50 years, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job on Tuesday. In a social media post, the union's president Harold Daggett said the union was fighting for “the kind of wages we deserve.”

In a statement on Monday, the union blamed the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents docks and ocean carriers, for continuing to block an agreement that would end the strike.

“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject," the statement said.

While 14 ports in the East and Gulf Coast are seeing striking workers, West Coast ports have not been affected as a different union represents its workers. Back in 2023, the West Coast union negotiated wage increases for its workers.

What do dockworkers make? What wages are they proposing?

The wages negotiated by the West Coast dockworkers union is one of the reasons for the current strike. ILA workers make significantly less than their counterparts.

The ILA contract that expired on Monday shows that the starting pay for dockworkers was $20 per hour. Pay rises to $24.75 after two years, $31.90 after three and tops out at $39 for workers with at least six years on the job.

Meanwhile, the ILA is demanding a 77% increase over the duration of the contract, with a $5 increase each year of the contract. Workers would make $44 the first year, $49 the second and up to $69 in the final year.

In recent days, the U.S. Maritime Alliance proposed a smaller increase, nearly 50%, which the ILA rejected.

"They might claim a significant increase, but they conveniently omit that many of our members are operating multi-million-dollar container-handling equipment for a mere $20 an hour. In some states, the minimum wage is already $15," the ILA said.

The current top wage amounts to about $81,000 per year, but according to a Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor report about a third of local longshoremen made $200,000 or more a year.

However, that pay may come with extreme hours. The ILA president, Harold Daggett, told the Associated Press that many of the workers earning high wages work up to 100 hours a week.

“Our members don’t work typical 9-to-5 jobs; they work extraordinary hours, sacrificing time with their families. Our position is firm: we believe in the value our incredible rank-and-file members bring to this industry and to our great nation,” the ILA said in a statement.

The average U.S. salary was about $59,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.