Earlier this month, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) alerted all its locals covered by the Master Contract with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that Wage Scale Committee Meetings will be held, beginning on Wednesday, September 4 at the Teaneck Marriott Hotel at Glenpointe in Teaneck, New Jersey, according to ILA President Harold J. Daggett.
The main purpose of the Wage Scale Meetings, according to a press release, will be for ILA Wage Scale Delegates to review demands the ILA makes to USMX. Additionally, the president and chief negotiator of the ILA said the gathering will provide the union an opportunity to prepare for a possible coast-wide strike on October 1, 2024, if a new agreement is not reached by then.
The ILA has called for two days of meetings, September 4 and 5, in Teaneck.
As to how healthcare can prepare, Tom Redding, who leads the healthcare supply chain practice at St. Onge Company, commented to Healthcare Purchasing News, “The looming strike by the ILA is another blunt reminder for the importance of creating supply chain transparency between health systems, suppliers and their manufacturers.”
“Health systems can no longer ‘work in the dark’ on where, when and how they will get supplies to support patient care,” he said in a statement. “Additionally, health systems must proactively work closely with their suppliers to understand the potential impact on the availability of supplies, pharmaceuticals and equipment to support their operations, and begin deploying alternative methods to securing products in a timely manner.”
