Longshoreman Strike - East and Gulf Coast - now features TP shortages

[normal username]

Good for them.

I hope they get what they want as they are extremely important to this country.

 

[Astro14]

Meanwhile - down at the shop, I have a stash of TP. Not that I needed it. But bought a case a year or two ago, because it was cheap. Gave a way a couple rolls today - just to help out my neighbors.

 

[Trav]

Time to go old school.

 

[Dave Hess]

Hospitals are worried cause lots of supplies come from China.

Medline is a major supplier for healthcare organizations.

 

[Pew]

I do not know anything about any fuel shortage in the UK, in 2000. I do know that fuel, by in large is a high priced commodity in Europe, but not as much in the UK. Please provide a link for my consideration, if you have a little time.

The wiki does a pretty good summary of it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fue... Texaco,,under pressure to resume deliveries.

In short, truckers and farmers started to blockade 2 UK refineries because of rising gas prices and within a day there was gas shortages because fuel tankers were not leaving the refineries. Within another few days, gas was reserved only for emergency vehicles and food deliveries. People started to panic buy everything (cv19 style) and hospitals couldn't get supplies in and people started fighting. This only lasted for a week but it ended up affecting everything oil-based, even stuff like plastic.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The wiki does a pretty good summary of it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fue... Texaco,,under pressure to resume deliveries.

In short, truckers and farmers started to blockade 2 UK refineries because of rising gas prices and within a day there was gas shortages because fuel tankers were not leaving the refineries. Within another few days, gas was reserved only for emergency vehicles and food deliveries. People started to panic buy everything (cv19 style) and hospitals couldn't get supplies in and people started fighting. This only lasted for a week but it ended up affecting everything oil-based, even stuff like plastic.

This is going to sound sarcastic but its not intended to be. It sounds a lot like when a big hurricane hits the gulf, or when the colonial pipeline was hacked and shut down for a couple days. Even if there was no run on anything, if deliveries ceased the grocery stores and gas stations would be 100% empty in 3 days or less. With a run on things - 3 hours or less.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Hospitals are worried cause lots of supplies come from China.

Medline is a major supplier for healthcare organizations.

I was looking through a list of things that come into these ports, and most are trinkets, but I was surprised by how much medical stuff comes in. A lot comes into the port of Savannah specifically for some reason?

 

[SC Maintenance]

Never hurts to stock up.

Apparently a lot of retailers saw this coming and started producing and shipping Christmas / Valentines day items earlier this year. It's still going to be a cluster if this isn't resolved in 2 weeks. But I am sure it will. For all of the work team blue is putting into the election, i.e. outspending team red by 5MM a day, they will find a solution.

Here's how the problem will be solved:

• Owners of the ports and interested parties have a knock on their door.
• IRS agent identifies himself and whispers into the ear of the multibillionaire port owner. "You better pay those guys or you'll get audited, we guarantee it."
• Port owner pays the union and the problem goes away.

Another angle is that this is a play by the union, timed perfectly around election season, in this case to not only to hold the country on edge to get a raise, but help get team red into the WH.

Besides contract negotiations, what do the unions have to gain from port being closed down and causing mayhem in the supply chain? I think this mayhem doesn't bode well for the sitting party and plays into hands of the opponent which could play into election results. Blue collar union workers are majority pro team red. They will get paid either way, it's just who is willing to put up with the pain for how long.

One of the economists I listen to a lot said she was giving everyone a gift card for christmas. She said all the retailers ordered there holiday season stuff back in February when everything was still rocking. She figures the overstock and hence deals will be epic. Who knows?

 

[loneryder]

So what if they're foreign owned. Countries nationalize foreign owned businesses all the time. Exhibit A: Venezuela, Mexico

They are negotiating with foreign countries many of whom don't like us.

 

[loneryder]

I got up at 5am today to grab some toilet paper and paper towels. Saw a news segment on the strike (locally) and the union leader was real jerk. Was asked if he cared about the prices increases that were impending and then went on some rant about how no one cared about them (longshoreman) until now, rambled off some BS about their conditions they want met and joked around bit. Not supporting this strike at all. If anything this strike will give the ports an excuse to go fully automated even sooner than they anticipated.



This was the Ahole I saw last night,

I can verify that there is a run on paper products. In Costco today and they were out of TP and PT. He said more would be in tomorrow and he thought it was because of the strike. Then he added that all their paper products are made here. What happens when/if things get really tough in this country? All these wusses will go crazy.

 

[loneryder]

I got up at 5am today to grab some toilet paper and paper towels. Saw a news segment on the strike (locally) and the union leader was real jerk. Was asked if he cared about the prices increases that were impending and then went on some rant about how no one cared about them (longshoreman) until now, rambled off some BS about their conditions they want met and joked around bit. Not supporting this strike at all. If anything this strike will give the ports an excuse to go fully automated even sooner than they anticipated.



This was the Ahole I saw last night,

I can verify that there is a run on paper products. In Costco today and they were out of TP and PT. He said more would be in tomorrow and he thought it was because of the strike. Then he added that all their paper products are made here. What happens when/if things get really tough in this country? All these wusses will go crazy.

I was looking through a list of things that come into these ports, and most are trinkets, but I was surprised by how much medical stuff comes in. A lot comes into the port of Savannah specifically for some reason?

Don't forget that the Suez Canal is pretty much closed.

 

[wpod]

There was a time where people had extra products stocked up at their houses.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Don't forget that the Suez Canal is pretty much closed.

Yes, they have to go around. Adds more time and more cost.

We should maybe consider who makes our medical supplies - given every other pet project has a "national security" tag on it.

 

[Astro14]

Yes, they have to go around. Adds more time and more cost.

We should maybe consider who makes our medical supplies - given every other pet project has a "national security" tag on it.

It doesn’t just add more time. It reduces the amount of shipping tonnage available.

It’s the difference between making say, 10 round trips a year, or six.

It’s a big drop in how much can be shipped. More than just stuff getting here slower - less stuff gets here.

 

[ctechbob]

" Under the union's proposal, workers would make $44 for the first year of the contract, $49 for the second and up to $69 in its final year. "

So $90,000 to start and $143,000 with experience.

I guess I'll be the one to ask. What is so special about that job that demands that high of a compensation?

 

[BrendanC]

" Under the union's proposal, workers would make $44 for the first year of the contract, $49 for the second and up to $69 in its final year. "

So $90,000 to start and $143,000 with experience.

I guess I'll be the one to ask. What is so special about that job that demands that high of a compensation?

that amount of money is insane for starting as a labor hand.

 

[SubLGT]

I can remember when Johnny Carson created a TP shortage decades ago simply by telling some jokes about toilet paper.

 

[RhondaHonda]

" Under the union's proposal, workers would make $44 for the first year of the contract, $49 for the second and up to $69 in its final year. "

So $90,000 to start and $143,000 with experience.

I guess I'll be the one to ask. What is so special about that job that demands that high of a compensation?

Exactly. What’s so special about the skills required to do the job that they think they cannot be replaced? They are going to strike themselves out of jobs pretty quickly. The 50% pay raise over 7 years is pretty solid for unskilled labor that they were offered.

 

[Pew]

This is going to sound sarcastic but its not intended to be. It sounds a lot like when a big hurricane hits the gulf, or when the colonial pipeline was hacked and shut down for a couple days. Even if there was no run on anything, if deliveries ceased the grocery stores and gas stations would be 100% empty in 3 days or less. With a run on things - 3 hours or less.

I never thought of it that way. I think it's a very similar situation.

Exactly. What’s so special about the skills required to do the job that they think they cannot be replaced? They are going to strike themselves out of jobs pretty quickly. The 50% pay raise over 7 years is pretty solid for unskilled labor that they were offered.

Nothing, just a body.

 

[BrendanC]

Exactly. What’s so special about the skills required to do the job that they think they cannot be replaced? They are going to strike themselves out of jobs pretty quickly. The 50% pay raise over 7 years is pretty solid for unskilled labor that they were offered.

if they get that it means i went to college simply for the work from home opportunities, not for the money.