Facing a possible strike at US ports, Biden administration urges operators to negotiate with unions

WASHINGTON — Top Biden administration officials were meeting Friday with port operators ahead of a possible strike at East and Gulf coast ports, with a union contract expiring after Monday.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, told members of the United States Maritime Alliance that they should be at the table with the union and negotiating ahead of the contract expiring. That's according to a White House official who insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing meeting.

Administration officials have delivered a similar message to the union this week.

The White House is trying to encourage the alliance, which represents port operators and shipping carriers, to reach what both sides would consider to be a fair agreement with the International Longshoremen's Association. There is the possibility of a strike once the contract lapses, with unionized workers objecting to the addition of new technologies to U.S. ports that they say could ultimately cause job losses.

President Joe Biden's team does not see a potential strike as necessarily disruptive to the economy in the short term, since retail inventories have increased as companies planned for the contract dispute. The federal government also has additional tools to monitor supply chains that it lacked during the COVID-19 pandemic when long wait times at ports and higher shipping costs pushed up inflation.