West Coast Dockworkers Union ILWU Slams Trump’s ‘Haphazard and Destructive’ Tariff Plan

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has issued a forceful statement opposing recently implemented tariffs between the United States and China, warning of severe consequences for maritime workers and the broader American economy.

The current trade dispute has escalated dramatically in recent weeks, with the Trump Administration imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, while China has retaliated with a 125% tariff on U.S. goods. The union reports that the impact is already being felt in the maritime sector, with Ocean Network Express announcing the cancellation of a shipping route as a direct response to these tariffs.

The ILWU, which represents dockworkers and warehouse workers along the West Coast of the United States—including the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, both major hubs for U.S. imports from China—as well as Hawaii, Alaska, and parts of Canada, argues that these tariffs pose a direct threat to hundreds of thousands of jobs connected to global trade. 

“These tariffs are nothing more than a direct attack on the working class and should be opposed outright,” states the ILWU in their policy statement. The union highlighted that American families could face an additional $1,600 in annual costs for basic goods and services.

The union draws parallels to previous tariffs implemented in 2018 and 2019, noting that those measures failed to meaningfully change the US-China trade balance and instead resulted in higher costs being passed directly to American consumers.

The ILWU recently concluded a significant contract negotiation in June 2023, reaching a six-year agreement that addressed issues including port automation, wages, and work jurisdiction.

“The reality is clear: these tariffs don’t put ‘America First’ — they put American working people last,” the union stressed, arguing that the measures “will kill jobs, raise costs, and fuel economic instability that will ripple through every community in this country.”

Both the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach expect a slowdown in the coming months after a busy first quarter. The National Retail Federation’s latest Global Port Tracker predicts a dramatic shift in U.S. import volumes beginning in May, which would mark the end of 19 consecutive months of year-over-year growth.

During President Trump’s first trade war with China in 2018, Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw dramatic swings in container volumes a importers initially rushed to beat tariff deadlines, causing a surge in shipments in late 2018. But once tariffs took effect, volumes dropped sharply—Los Angeles experienced a 19% year-over-year decline by October 2019, while Long Beach saw an 8% drop in imports, the steepest fall among major U.S. ports. Empty container exports to Asia also surged.

Beyond direct maritime impacts, the ILWU points to broader economic consequences, including rising fuel costs and increased construction material prices that have already triggered layoffs across various sectors. The union particularly highlighted concerns about how these tariffs could exacerbate the ongoing housing crisis by increasing construction costs.

Following his 2024 election victory, then President-elect Trump intervened in contentious labor negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing East and Gulf Coast dockworkers, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). After a brief three-day strike in October 2024, the two sides reached a deal in January 2025 that addressed automation concerns. LA President Harold Daggett called it “the greatest contract in ILA history,” crediting its success to a December 2024 meeting at Mar-a-Lago and Trump’s pressure on the USMX to reach an agreement. 

“It is undeniable that decades of free trade agreements have negatively impacted American workers and prioritized corporate profits at the expense of good paying, union jobs in America,” the ILWU stated. “However, this haphazard and destructive tariff plan is a sad excuse for a ‘fair trade’ policy. We demand fair trade policies that put working class Americans first, protect jobs, and reduce taxes on the American people, not trade policies dictated by a president’s whims.”

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