New dockworker strike threat looms for Port of Virginia

Shippers in Hampton Roads are bracing for a renewed dockworker strike in mid-January after contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance stalled in November.

More than 45,000 dockworkers walked off their jobs for three days starting Oct. 1 at ports from Maine through Texas, including at the Port of Virginia, leading to panic buying at some grocery stores. ILA, the union that represents the workers, and USMX, which supports the industry and ports, reached a tentative agreement on a wage increase of 62% over six years, setting a Jan. 15, 2025, deadline to agree to a new master contract, but bargaining broke down in mid-November, amid ILA concerns that automation would eliminate jobs.

In a statement, USMX said it is seeking continued modernization, while ILA said in its own statement that it embraces “technologies that improve safety and efficiency, but only when a human being remains at the helm. Their endgame is clear: Establish semi-automation now, and pave the way for full automation later.”

The Port of Virginia, which declined to comment for this story, is considered one of the most automated ports in the nation. According to CNBC, it currently has 116 electric semiautomatic stacking cranes, with plans to increase that number to 152, and is in the midst of a $1.4 billion modernization and expansion effort. The Virginia Maritime Association, which advocates for the state’s shipping industry, also declined to comment.

Scott Swan, a William & Mary professor who has studied the port’s economic impact, says striking a balance between labor and automation will be crucial, particularly as ships get larger and shippers and ports seek efficiency.

As the Jan. 15 deadline looms, Rachel Shames, vice president of pricing and procurement at CV International, a Norfolk-based logistics and trade compliance company, has been warning customers that dockworkers could again walk off the job. Added complications from the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is expected to shutter plants in China for a week or more starting Jan. 29, as well as President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, could lead to shipping rushes as well as shifts, Shames says.

“I expect in the lead-up to Jan. 15 that we will see more volume moving over the West Coast as shippers just say, ‘You know, I don’t want to take any chances.’”