Dockworkers strike over automation is just the beginning

 Whether it's robots stacking shipping containers or ChatGPT editing a movie script, workers this year are fretting over technology.

Dockworkers who walked off the job this week — over demands for higher pay and a ban on automation — marked the latest example of that collective anxiety boiling over. In the absence of workplace policy that balances the rush of technology with job security, expect more labor action to fill the void.

Unionized workers are increasingly deciding for themselves how they want tech advancements to play out, rather than fully accepting the whims of their employers. That’s true for longshoremen just as it was for Hollywood writers. (Just a few days ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a high-profile bill that would have been one of the most comprehensive policies around regulating AI in the US.)

“We know from history labor success tends to build greater success,” said Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, an associate professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University and former US Department of Labor official.

Hertel-Fernandez said it’s no coincidence that we are seeing the bold posture from the port workers, given the recent labor action from several other unions including Hollywood creatives, the UAW, and Kaiser healthcare workers. The high-profile incidents have a spillover effect, he said. They encourage workers who see others winning gains amid a supportive public environment and a favorable political context.

“Across the board, in very different sectors, we are seeing technology being rolled out in ways that can empower workers but it can also degrade their work or even displace them altogether,” he said.

The potential impact of the port strike on the economy is a key point of leverage for workers. The timeline remains fuzzy but experts say a prolonged work stoppage would cause significant delays in unloading cargo, higher prices, and product shortages. Those plausible consequences have also generated a backlash in some circles. The striking dockworkers are acting selfishly, critics of the action have said, highlighting a resistance to what many see as an inevitable progress of technology in manual work.

But a compromise wouldn’t have to outright ban automation, said Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. A broader policy solution could mandate worker retraining so that employees can qualify for other roles when their jobs are displaced.

"We don’t want people to be left behind. We don’t want them to become obsolete due to robots," he said.

The conversation around the dockworker strike also highlights a self-serving belief that automation will only disrupt manual fields, as if having a laptop job is a protective moat.

"Eventually, this is going to happen in every sector," he said. "So if people are not worried about longshore people losing their jobs, they will be worried a year from now when they are losing their own."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-dockworkers-strike-over-automation-is-just-the-beginning-morning-brief-100018329.html

Biden visits the Carolinas to survey catastrophic damage from Hurricane

 President Biden traveled to the Carolinas on Wednesday for an aerial tour of the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Helene, as well as a briefing on the ground on recovery efforts. Vice President Kamala Harris is in Georgia receiving updates on the emergency response to the storm's devastation there.

Mr. Biden said that he approved a request from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for the federal government to cover "100 percent" of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs for six months. 

"My heart goes out to everyone who has experienced the unthinkable loss," the president said during a briefing in Raleigh. "But we're here for you."

Mr. Biden first headed to Greenville, South Carolina, where utility crews and city public work teams are trying to clear roadways and return power. He went on an aerial tour of the affected region to get a sense of the seismic devastation from above without interfering with recovery efforts. 

The president and his team flew over Asheville, North Carolina, where some of the worst of the damage is. 

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"Much of Asheville is underwater," Mr. Biden said after the tour. 

Marine One, with President Biden on board, flies around areas impacted by Hurricane Helene over Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.Susan Walsh / AP

Before he arrived, the White House announced the deployment of 1,000 active-duty U.S. soldiers "to support the delivery of food, water, and other critical commodities to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene." The White House said the troops will join more than 4,800 federal personnel who have already been deployed to help states in the region respond to the storm.

On Monday, the president said 600 people remained unaccounted for, as the search for survivors continues. There were at least 180 storm-related deaths as of Wednesday, CBS News confirmed. 

The president visited Raleigh in the afternoon for an operational briefing at an emergency operations center. Raleigh, further east, was spared the worst of the damage from Helene. Western North Carolina, where Asheville is, endured the brunt of the damage. Parts of highways were wiped out, and many residents are still without running water, a steady supply of food and other basic needs. Eastern Tennessee also saw severe damage from the storm. 

A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, September 29, 2024.Marco Bello / REUTERS

On Wednesday afternoon, Harris will be in Augusta, Georgia, to receive updates on the federal government's response to the crisis. Former President Donald Trump was in Valdosta, Georgia, earlier in the week to survey damage.

Mr. Biden has said Congress may need to return to Washington to pass supplemental emergency funding for the federal response to the disaster. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday morning that he, too, believes Congress will need to pass additional funding to respond to Helene, but that may not happen until after Election Day. All members of the House are up for reelection this year, and they're in their districts campaigning. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-hurricane-helene-north-carolina-south-carolina/

Trump leads Harris among Arab American voters

 The ongoing war in Gaza has turned historical Arab American support for Democratic candidates on its head, with 46 percent of likely voters polled by the Arab American Institute saying they would support former President Trump, while 42 percent said they would back Vice President Harris. 

Normally, Democrats have a 2-to-1 advantage among Arab Americans in elections. Wednesday’s poll found Harris is running 18 points behind the Arab American support for President Biden in the 2020 election, when 6 in 10 Arab Americans voted for the Democrat. Trump’s lead over Harris, however, are within the margin of error of the poll, which is 4.5 points.

“In our thirty years of polling Arab American voters, we have not witnessed anything like the role that the war on Gaza is having on voter behavior,” the poll document reads. “With little over one month remaining before the election, Arab Americans and, as our polls of US voters have shown, those who share their concerns (young and non-white voters) will be watching to see if their deeply felt concerns with Gaza and now Lebanon will be recognized and respected with a promise for change.” 

In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, Arab American support for Democrats cratered, falling from 40 percent identifying as Democrats in April 2023 to 23 percent saying they were Democrats last October. Less than 1 in 5 Arab Americans polled said they would vote for Biden last October.

Since then, the party has somewhat regained its footing, with 38 percent of Arab Americans now identifying as Democrats and 42 percent saying they would vote for Harris. 

Of those polled, 12 percent said they would vote for a third party, which is in contrast to a September poll from the Council on American-Islamic Relations showing that 29.4 percent supported Harris while 29.1 percent supported Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein. 

“While some headlines based on a few organizational member surveys have suggested a third-party candidate could garner a plurality of the Arab American vote, this nationwide poll of voters suggests otherwise,” the Arab American Institute wrote in the poll. “All the third-party candidates combined receive just 12% of the Arab American vote. Instead, it’s Trump who is the beneficiary of the community’s anger and despair over the Biden Administration’s failure to prevent the unfolding genocide in Gaza.” 

Both campaigns have increased their efforts to win over these voters. Harris has appointed an Arab American outreach director, while Trump’s efforts have been led by Massad Boulos, the father of Tiffany Trump’s husband. 

Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American who was floated as a potential Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention, said the Trump campaign has stepped up efforts of running ads in Arab and Muslim areas of Michigan and telling voters Harris does not care about them.

Republicans have steadily increased their support in the Arab American community since April 2023. That month, 23 percent of Arab Americans identified themselves as Republicans. In October 2023, 32 percent said they were Republicans. In Wednesday’s poll, 38 percent — the same number as Democrats — said they were Republican. 

There are more than 200,000 Arab Americans in Michigan and close to 100,000 Arab Americans in Georgia, both critical battleground states that Democrats won by tens of thousands of votes in 2020. Additionally, tens of thousands of voters in Michigan voted uncommitted during this year’s Democratic primary to register their anger with Biden and Democrats over their support for Israel. 

The Uncommitted Movement and most Arab American and Muslim leaders have called on Biden and Harris to demand a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, implement an arms embargo until Israel stops its bombing campaign in Gaza and work to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, an enclave that Israel has bombed continuously since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. 

The poll found that if Harris demanded an immediate cease-fire, unimpeded humanitarian aid to Gaza and threatened to withhold arms shipments to Israel, her vote share among Arab Americans would jump up to 60 percent, capturing one-third of Trump voters and “wiping out” the votes that might be cast for third parties. 

If Trump were to make a similar demand, he would win the votes of 55 percent of those polled. 

The poll found that Harris also missed an opportunity at the Democratic convention by not allowing a Palestinian speaker to take the stage, with 55 percent of Arab Americans saying they would have been more likely to support her if she had allowed a speaker. 

Turnout among Arab Americans might also be lower during this election cycle. Traditionally, Arab American turnout has been in the 80 percent range. This time around, only 63 percent said they were enthusiastic about voting.

The Arab American Institute polled 500 Arab American voters.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4911910-arab-american-voter-poll-trump-harris/

Harris adviser meets US Muslim, Arab leaders angry at support for Israel

 A senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris met American Muslim and Arab leaders on Wednesday as Harris' presidential campaign seeks to win back voters angry at U.S. support for Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Harris' national security adviser, Phil Gordan, told the community leaders in the virtual meeting that the administration supports a ceasefire in Gaza, diplomacy in Lebanon and stability in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the vice president's office said.

Ali Dagher, a Lebanese-American attorney and community leader, said the outreach from Harris' office was not enough. "It's too little, too late," said Dagher, who did not participate in the meeting.

Harris, a Democrat, faces Republican former President Donald Trump on Nov. 5 in what polls show to be a tight presidential race.

President Joe Biden won most of the 2020 Muslim and Arab votes, but their backing of Democrats has fallen sharply during nearly a year that Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza. Activists say Biden and Harris have done too little to stop Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, Palestinian health authorities say. Israel was responding to an Oct. 7, 2023 incursion by Hamas gunmen, who Israel says killed around 1,200 people and abducted about 250 hostages. Gaza has suffered a humanitarian crisis with nearly all its 2 million people displaced and widespread hunger in the enclave.

In Lebanon more than 1,900 people have been killed and 9,000 wounded during almost a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with most of the deaths in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.

Emgage, a Muslim American advocacy group, recently endorsed Harris, while others have urged supporters to shun her. While they have not supported Trump, their choice not to vote or to vote for third-party candidates could hurt Harris, analysts say.

U.S. support for Israel has led to large protests, especially in hotly contested swing states like Michigan that could decide the election. Harris has offered no substantive policy differences on Israel from Biden, who stepped aside as presidential candidate in July.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/harris-adviser-meets-us-muslim-020155988.html

Ship queue grows at US ports as dockworker strike enters third day

 Long lines of container ships queued up outside major U.S. ports on Thursday as the biggest dockworker strike in nearly half a century entered its third day preventing unloading and threatening shortages of everything from bananas to auto parts.

No negotiations were scheduled between the International Longshoremen's Association and employers, but the port owners, under pressure from the White House to hike their pay offer to land a deal, signaled late on Wednesday they were open to new talks.

At least 45 container vessels that have been unable to unload had anchored up outside the strike-stricken East Coast and Gulf Coast ports by Wednesday, up from just three before the strike began on Sunday, according to Everstream Analytics.

"Many seem to have decided to wait it out, possibly in hopes of a prompt resolution to the strike action, rather than taking the proactive decision to divert," said Everstream's Jena Santoro in a video presentation seen by Reuters.

She said the vessel backlog could double by the end of the week, and that the resulting congestion could take weeks, if not months, to clear.

One alternative would be to sail to West Coast ports on the other side of the country, likely using the Panama Canal, a journey of thousands of miles that would hike costs and add weeks to delivery times.

The ILA launched its strike by 45,000 port workers from Maine to Texas, its first major stoppage since 1977, on Tuesday after talks for a new six-year contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group broke down.

The ILA is seeking a big pay raise along with commitments to halt port automation projects it fears will kill jobs. The USMX had offered a 50% pay bump, but the ILA said it was insufficient to address its concerns.

"Reaching an agreement will require negotiating," USMX said late on Wednesday. "We cannot agree to preconditions to return to bargaining, but we remain committed to bargaining in good faith to address the ILA’s demands and USMX’s concerns," it said.

President Joe Biden’s administration has sided with the union, heaping pressure on the port employers to raise their offer to secure a deal and citing the shipping industry's bumper profits since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists say the port closures will not initially raise consumer prices as companies accelerated shipments in recent months for key goods. However, a prolonged stoppage will eventually filter through, with food prices likely to react first, according to Morgan Stanley economists.

The strike affects 36 ports - including New York, Baltimore and Houston - that handle a range of containerized goods.

The National Retail Federation on Wednesday, along with 272 other trade associations, called on Biden's administration to use its federal authority to halt the strike, saying the walkout could have "devastating consequences" for the economy.

Biden's administration has repeatedly said it will not use federal powers to halt the strike.

https://www.aol.com/news/ship-queue-grows-us-ports-050556741.html

Russian court freezes funds of US banks JP Morgan and Mellon

 The Moscow Region Arbitration Court on Wednesday froze funds of the U.S. Bank of New York Mellon held by the Russian branch of Citibank as well as funds of JP Morgan Chase held by its Russian affiliate of Morgan Chase Bank amounting in total to about $372 million.

The court decision said the action was initiated by Russia's deputy prosecutor "in defence of the interests of the Russian Federation" in connection with the Ukrainian central bank's withdrawal of the licence of MR bank with plans to wind up the bank by 2025.

The prosecutor's office launched the action late last month against Ukrainian regulators and the two U.S. banks - Bank of New York Mellon and JP Morgan Chase Bank recognising the action as "expropriation" of the property of MR bank - Ukrainian subsidiary of Russia's largest bank, Sberbank. It said the action infringed the state's lawful interests.

The prosecutor's office sought recognition of $121 million placed by MR bank in an account of JP Morgan Chase as the rightful property of Sberbank and $251 million placed in an account of the Bank of New York Mellon - amounting to a total sum of damages of $372 million.

According to court documents, the action resulted in Sberbank being denied judicial control over its subsidiary and the right to dispose of its income, meaning that the state "lost the opportunity to securе its own income from the activity abroad of MR bank."

Both Sberbank and JP Morgan declined to comment on the court action.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/russian-court-freezes-funds-us-201929925.html

Dominican Republic to ramp up deportations as Haiti conflict worsens

 The Dominican Republic on Wednesday announced an "immediate" plan to deport up to 10,000 migrants per week, as it ramps up enforcement along its border with Haiti despite U.N. pleas for it not to expel people to its conflict-hit neighbor.

The announcement from the Caribbean island nation did not specify that the plan would target Haitians, but nationals from its neighbor have made up the vast majority of deportees.

If implemented, the plan would mark significant growth in deportations after more than 200,000 Haitians were forcibly returned last year, according to U.N. data.

In its statement, the president's office pointed to the slow progress and "limited" results of a U.N.-backed security mission sent to help Haitian police retake control of the capital from the growing presence of armed gangs.

"Faced with this reality, we're forced to act decisively," presidential spokesperson Homero Figueroa said in the statement.

The plan calls for more border inspectors, surveillance drones and building "temporary repatriation camps", while taking into account both security and human rights, Figueroa said.

A spokesperson for Haiti's prime minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United Nations has asked countries including the Dominican Republic and the United States to halt deportations to Haiti, where severe hunger has soared and is now affecting nearly half the population of around 11 million.

The number of Haitians internally displaced has nearly doubled in six months, surpassing 700,000 as gangs expand to areas around the capital.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, last year accounted for 96% of Haitians deported from countries around the world.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was reelected this year, pledging to take a tough stance on Haitian migration.

Last year, the Dominican Republic shuttered border crossings citing a conflict over a canal being built in Haiti off a shared river. In 2022, it began building a border wall.

Local activists have for years protested deportations of vulnerable people such as pregnant women and the stripping of Dominican nationality from some 200,000 people born to Haitian parents over a decade ago.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-10-02/dominican-republic-to-ramp-up-deportations-as-haiti-conflict-worsens