The ILA was derided for asking for higher wages and resisting automation. Days later, they took home a 60% raise. On the heels of the screenwriters' victory wrt AI, take note: Luddism can win.
Brian, have you written about the longshore unions' Mechanization & Modernization Agreements? Everything you've written here applies to it — Harry Bridges, the west coast ILWU leader, saw technological change was coming to shipping and led his union (and later the allied east coast ILA) to put in place a framework that would result in certain longshore workers being among the best paid union workers in the world. It's the process you describe writ large, at least large enough to cover the last 65 years.
I haven't written about it but I should — I figured I was already in the weeds deep enough here as it was, but that's definitely right and a model for others facing automation/AI replacement should consider as well. Rotterdam dockworkers union is interesting too
But yeah I should do a separate post just on that. Know someone I should talk to?
Additional fun fact: Bill de Blasio adopted an automation platform during his failed 2020 bid for president that was largely based on the dockworkers M&MAs
That Luddism won for the ILA is true to the extent that workers will have a democratic say in the work process. Currently they have NO agreement on automation although this was their main sticking point during the strike. During the ILWU contract negotiations in 2022 ILA leader Harold Daggett even made a point of slamming his fist on the table saying they would accept NO automation at East Coast terminals. They got 60% raise under a Tentative Agreement which is something progressive for them as they have long lagged behind the West Coast on wages and benefits. The point of worker resistance to automation is not to fight technology itself as you point out, but to get more democratic control over the work process. During the Mechanization and Modernization Agreement effecting the ILWU in the 60’s and 70’s, a leading opponent of this agreement by the name of Stan Weir advocated a Modern Day Luddism. You can find his writings online available for free pdf download at Libcom. I have been a Merchant Seaman with 15+ years experience seeing the global supply chain in practice, and now a Stevedore in West Coast ports. I feel the best way to advocate more worker control as Luddism entails is to join our efforts along with the cause of radical ecological change. The writers strike over AI entailed a struggle over the preservation of human creativity. For industrial workers, particularly in transportation, our struggle against “the machine” entails the reality of ecological collapse as long as giant container ships carrying manufactured goods across the Oceans persist. Descaling these gigantic entities that dominate the supply chain such that local control over the effects of pollution and having worker greater participation would be the ultimate goal.
Joel Schor
Member - International Longshore and Warehouse Union ILWU local 10, Former longtime and retired member of Sailors Union of the Pacific SUP.
"The working class needs automation and upskilling" — how naive of Noah Smith to believe that corporate bosses want to hand out promotions affixed to pink slips. "Good news, you're laid off because we replaced you with robots, but you're so important to us that we now want to pay you even more money to do this more important job!" I don't think that has ever happened in the history of labor. What's more, earlier innovations like calculators and computers gave human workers new complimentary jobs because those technologies were specifically designed to be used by humans, but the whole point of AI, especially if we think about the race to AGI/ASI, is definitely 100% for the machine to supersede humans and not require any human supervision. Why are people like Smith in denial, even when the leaders of AI companies literally write manifestos exposing their ultimate plans?
Brian, have you written about the longshore unions' Mechanization & Modernization Agreements? Everything you've written here applies to it — Harry Bridges, the west coast ILWU leader, saw technological change was coming to shipping and led his union (and later the allied east coast ILA) to put in place a framework that would result in certain longshore workers being among the best paid union workers in the world. It's the process you describe writ large, at least large enough to cover the last 65 years.
I haven't written about it but I should — I figured I was already in the weeds deep enough here as it was, but that's definitely right and a model for others facing automation/AI replacement should consider as well. Rotterdam dockworkers union is interesting too
But yeah I should do a separate post just on that. Know someone I should talk to?
Additional fun fact: Bill de Blasio adopted an automation platform during his failed 2020 bid for president that was largely based on the dockworkers M&MAs
!
I know a longtime ILWU leader who would be a great conversation, although there are probably better scholarly sources. Happy to make a connection.
That would be great! I'm briancmerchant at gmail
thanks!
That Luddism won for the ILA is true to the extent that workers will have a democratic say in the work process. Currently they have NO agreement on automation although this was their main sticking point during the strike. During the ILWU contract negotiations in 2022 ILA leader Harold Daggett even made a point of slamming his fist on the table saying they would accept NO automation at East Coast terminals. They got 60% raise under a Tentative Agreement which is something progressive for them as they have long lagged behind the West Coast on wages and benefits. The point of worker resistance to automation is not to fight technology itself as you point out, but to get more democratic control over the work process. During the Mechanization and Modernization Agreement effecting the ILWU in the 60’s and 70’s, a leading opponent of this agreement by the name of Stan Weir advocated a Modern Day Luddism. You can find his writings online available for free pdf download at Libcom. I have been a Merchant Seaman with 15+ years experience seeing the global supply chain in practice, and now a Stevedore in West Coast ports. I feel the best way to advocate more worker control as Luddism entails is to join our efforts along with the cause of radical ecological change. The writers strike over AI entailed a struggle over the preservation of human creativity. For industrial workers, particularly in transportation, our struggle against “the machine” entails the reality of ecological collapse as long as giant container ships carrying manufactured goods across the Oceans persist. Descaling these gigantic entities that dominate the supply chain such that local control over the effects of pollution and having worker greater participation would be the ultimate goal.
Joel Schor
Member - International Longshore and Warehouse Union ILWU local 10, Former longtime and retired member of Sailors Union of the Pacific SUP.
"The working class needs automation and upskilling" — how naive of Noah Smith to believe that corporate bosses want to hand out promotions affixed to pink slips. "Good news, you're laid off because we replaced you with robots, but you're so important to us that we now want to pay you even more money to do this more important job!" I don't think that has ever happened in the history of labor. What's more, earlier innovations like calculators and computers gave human workers new complimentary jobs because those technologies were specifically designed to be used by humans, but the whole point of AI, especially if we think about the race to AGI/ASI, is definitely 100% for the machine to supersede humans and not require any human supervision. Why are people like Smith in denial, even when the leaders of AI companies literally write manifestos exposing their ultimate plans?