HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — As the port strike keeps ports in the East and Gulf coast shuttered, the state of Alabama braces for the impact.
The International Longshoremen Association say they want a better contract, and they want that new contract to come with items such as a ban on automation in ports.
UAH’s Assoc. Professor of Management Science Laird Burns shared how this could impact the industry. “It’s always about money, but it’s always about automation. You want to have good, healthy organizations. There’s always a balance between how much you share with the employees, how much profit goes to the organizations. But automation is in the middle of this. This is a long term structural challenge in this industry, and it’s going to be facing us for years to come.”…