Dockworker Featherbedding
How Unions and the Trump Administration Are Sinking U.S. Shipping
Maritime unions have long been a drag on American shipping efficiency, pushing for archaic labor rules, stifling innovation, and inflating costs—all under the guise of worker protection. Now, union featherbedding has placed the U.S. at a critical disadvantage on the global stage. Despite being the world’s leading economic superpower, the United States does not have a single port ranked in the top 50 for efficiency. Every other port in the developed world has mechanized operations to vastly improve efficiency while the United States has been stuck decades behind. The Trump administration’s deference to unions ensures that this self-inflicted wound will continue to deepen.
Featherbedding—the practice of forcing employers to hire more workers than necessary or preventing technological advancements that would improve efficiency—is rampant in U.S. ports. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) wields enormous power on the West Coast, controlling virtually all longshore labor and dictating the terms under which America’s busiest ports operate. The result? American ports are open fewer hours per week than their international competitors, labor costs are sky-high, and any attempt at modernization is met with fierce union resistance.
Consider the staggering costs: the average West Coast union dockworker makes $171,000 per year, plus free healthcare. Meanwhile, U.S. ports lag behind their global counterparts in every metric of efficiency. The 2020 World Bank/IHS Markit "Container Port Performance Index" ranked Philadelphia, the highest U.S. port, at a humiliating 83rd place. Major hubs like Los Angeles and Long Beach—the nation’s busiest ports—were relegated to the 328th and 333rd spots, respectively. In contrast, ports in Asia and the Middle East dominate the rankings, efficiently handling container traffic with cutting-edge automation and round-the-clock operations.
If the Trump administration continues to bow to union pressure, the gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world will only widen. Every other port in the developed world has mechanized ports. The solution is clear: embrace automation, extend port operating hours, and break the stranglehold of union featherbedding before America’s shipping industry is left in the dust.