Welcome back. We’re going to devote a few more column inches to the strike by the longshoremen’s union and its connections in Mobile. Listen to the podcast or read the newsletter beneath.

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Port squabble

The International Longshoremen’s Association followed through on its threat to strike Tuesday, affecting ports from Maine to Texas — including the one in Mobile.

The union’s contract expired on Tuesday. According to The Associated Press, the union’s opening demands were a 77% pay raise over the six years of the next contract. The ports, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, say they’ve raised their offer to 50%.

The AP reports that union members make a base salary of $41,600 to $81,120 annually but that overtime takes some above $200,000.

The union is also insisting on a complete ban of automated cranes, gates and trucks that move containers. The old contract allowed for automated machinery as long as humans were having to interact with it.

In Alabama, International Longshoremen Association Local 1410 President Mark Bass shared his thoughts on why the dock workers ought to get more out of the next deal with the alliance:

“You know, everybody can say what they want to, but they’re not subject to what we do. So, you know, I tell people, because I’m just in my 35th year, come work on the docks and live in my shoes and see how you like it. So, an average person can’t do it because we miss birthdays. We miss when anniversaries. We miss all the normal things.

“We miss all that. Because, guess what, when a ship pulls in, we’re here 24 hours, seven days a week, so we’re working around the clock … So, selfish is something that we’re not. Matter of fact, we’ve made an ultimate commitment to the United States to move commerce in and out of the country.”

A big part of this conflict originated in Mobile.

AL.com’s John Sharp reports that an automated processing gate leading to the APM Terminals Mobile led to the sticking point over automation as workers are concerned over being replaced by machines.

Obviously, that’s not a unique concern in industry or history.

Y’all might remember former congressman and gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne. He’s now the president & CEO of the Mobile Chamber and called the automation issue a red herring, a distraction. He said that in Mobile’s case it’s there for worker safety and is being used as a negotiation tactic.

The gate in question has been at the Port for 16 years. Its technology hasn’t changed, and it’s considered semi-automated.

Other Alabama officials also took issue with the strike. Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement:

“If the ILA was genuinely fighting for their workers, they would be at the table negotiating for them. Instead, at a time when families across the country are struggling to afford the rising cost of goods and as several Southeastern states are reeling from a devastating hurricane, the ILA is showing their true colors. They have chosen to hold hostage our economy, American consumers and its own workers they claim to support.”

Of course, these things often do break down along party lines, with Alabama officials leaning toward the businesses and more liberal officials leaning union. President Joe Biden indicated he’s not likely to intervene when he was asked whether he might invoke the Taft-Hartley Act, which could mean a court order that would put workers back on the job for 80 days if their absence might cause an economic crisis.

The president said:

“Because it’s collective bargaining, I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley.”

Economists are saying that if the strike lingers into November or longer, we might see higher prices and shortages of some retail items.

But don’t panic: I’ve checked several sources, including Forbes, and toilet paper is still mostly a domestically produced product.

For those who voted …

The Democrats hung on to that Alabama State House District 52 seat in an election last night, reports AL.com’s Joseph D. Bryant.

And I was right yesterday: The election did apparently sneak up on people because fewer than 1,400 people voted. That puts turnout at less than 5%.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin aid Kelvin Datcher captured a whopping 84% of that 5%. Heavily Democratic and apparently heavily uninterested District 52 includes parts of Birmingham, Fairfield, Homewood and Mountain Brook.

Republican opponent Erskine Brown Jr., knowing his campaign was a longshot, didn’t even launch a campaign website.

I’m an expert on this topic, so those with political ambitions listen up: Launching a campaign website is important because it’s the best way to get news media to spell your name right.

A long paddle

For the second year in a row, Trey Reaves of Florence has won the Great Alabama 650, reports AL.com’s Lawrence Specker.

That’s not a stock-car race. It’s wetter and a whole lot longer.

The Great Alabama 650 is a kayak race (or paddleboard) down Alabama waterways from Weiss Lake in Cherokee County to Fort Morgan. It’s a 650-mile race from Lookout Mountain to Mobile Bay.

Competitors head down the Coosa River through Gadsden, past Pell City to Wetumpka. The Coosa meets the Tallapoosa River, becomes the Alabama River and winds its way through Montgomery and Selma and into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta to Mobile Bay and Fort Morgan.

Which sounds like a great way to see Alabama unless you prefer to be attached to an Evinrude.

According to video from race officials, Reaves finished in 7 days, 8 hours, 14 minutes. (Official time will be lower after mandatory breaks along the way are subtracted.)

That was nearly a day ahead of the second-place finisher, although a three-time winner of the race had been running strong but left early because Hurricane Helene was bearing down on his home in Clearwater, Florida.

Ryan Gillikin of Bay Minette won the female solo category and became the third five-time finisher of the race, putting her in the “3,250 Club.”

Funding the police

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the police department’s officer staffing shortage isn’t quite as it’s been presented. But he also introduced a plan to deal with it that would cost $15.8 million, reports AL.com’s Greg Garrison.

He said there are 377 officers right now available to patrol. And while the ideal number of sworn officers is 851, 440 of them would be available for patrol. So by that measure, Woodfin says, the department is down only 63 patrol officers.

Still, this year’s homicide total and rate in Birmingham could challenge the city’s records.

The plan would take that $15.8 million out of a general reserve fund and could be voted on next week. It includes a take-home vehicle program, higher signing bonuses for recruits, a retention bonus, marketing, a recruitment campaign, recruiting consultants, new mental-health leave and reserve and trainee programs.

More Alabama News

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