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Trump supports US workers amid automation tech

On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Just finished a meeting with the International Longshoremen’s Association and its President, Harold Daggett, and Executive VP, Dennis Daggett. There has been a lot of discussion having to do with “automation” on United States docks.” He continued, “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it. The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen.”

Trump noted that “foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt. They’ve got record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women on our docks, than machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced. In the end, there’s no gain for them, and I hope that they will understand how important an issue this is for me.”

The president-elect urged the foreign companies to prioritise the US workers over automation in his post. He wrote, “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries.” Trump concluded in amessage on the public forum with: “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”

The profit-earning employers who have access to the US market and are mentioned in Trump’s post include the U.S. operations of Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping Company, Denmark’s Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), and China’s COSCO Shipping (2603.TW), as reported by Reuters. Read the original post on Truth Social here.

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ILA president expresses gratitude towards Trump

In a separate message, Dagget appeared grateful for the support shown by the former president. The message also included Vice President Dennis’s hope that Trump’s word would act as an encouragement for USMX to stop bringing ideas about automated or semi-automated equipment in their future proposals.

USMX said in a statement, “It’s clear President-elect Trump, USMX, and the ILA all share the goal of protecting and adding good-paying American jobs at our ports.” Meanwhile, employers said, “We need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” adding that dockworkers earn more money when seaports handle a higher volume of goods because their pay is often tied to the amount of work they do, as reported by Reuters.

ILA and USMX have until January 15 to reach an agreement on their labour talks, which have been delayed due to disagreements over automation. This deadline is just five days before Trump’s inauguration as president.