Gov. DeSantis launches Florida workaround to Longshoremen strike

Florida’s Governor is launching a potential end-run around a work stoppage by the International Longshoremen’s Association, saying cargo ships bringing imports that aren’t being offloaded can bring their goods to Florida.

“There are ships that have nothing to do with these negotiations. They may need a place to be able to come and we just want to send the message: You can come to the state of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a media availability in Anna Maria.

The Governor said the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard “will be deployed to critical ports, affected to maintain order and if possible, resume operations which would otherwise be shut down during this interruption.”

Additionally, the Florida Department of Transportation “is coordinating calls with seaport rail and trucking partners to ensure that all are prepared and positioned appropriately to limit disruptions to the supply chain and other areas,” per DeSantis.

All of this is facilitated by Executive Order 24-213, which claims the strike action must be thwarted as “the economic impacts will be felt across Florida’s sixteen deepwater seaports.”

As he did during comments Wednesday on the labor stoppage by dockworkers, DeSantis argued that it was “simply unacceptable” to strike given that action “could negatively impact people” who are working to rebuild after Hurricane Helene with imported goods.

He also blamed the White House for not intervening against the interests of the union, saying Joe Biden and Kamala Harris should “do everything in their power to ensure that these goods are where we need to be, that people are not left hanging out in the cold, waiting for these goods if they’re sitting in the ocean somewhere and they’re not being able to be used here in the state of Florida or in Georgia or North Carolina or where people are going to desperately need this.”

The President noted that storm recovery matters, but says it’s up to the management class to meet labor’s demands.

“As our nation climbs out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, dockworkers will play an essential role in getting communities the resources they need. Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record profits.”

The Vice President is sympathetic to the workers.

“This strike is about fairness. Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown. The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits,” her campaign asserted this week.

Former President Donald Trump largely agrees, saying “American workers should be able to negotiate for better wages, especially since the shipping companies are mostly foreign flag vessels.”