Trump Voices Support for Dockworkers Union Amid Automation Dispute

The president-elect said the amount of money saved by using automation is not worth the ‘distress, hurt, and harm’ it causes American workers.

Dockworkers gather at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas, on Oct. 1, 2024. Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump offered support on Dec. 12 for members of the dockworkers union who are negotiating contracts at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying further automation would harm workers.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he met with Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA), and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president, earlier in the day.