January 24, 2013

With fuel and operating costs skyrocketing in the overseas shipping industry, many shipping companies are struggling to stay afloat. These hard economic times have led to high tensions between company executives and dockworkers regarding the way and how much these blue-collar workers are paid.

According to Reuters News & Insight, many dockworkers across the east coast, including North Carolina, are members of different workers’ unions that work to ensure their rights are not infringed upon. Most recently, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have been battling with shipping executives and cargo dock owners about how they are paid royalties. In 2011, workers received $211 million in payout, but shipping companies argued this was too much based on their overhead costs. A strike loomed in the air for quite some time before a short-term resolution was reached that got workers back on the job.

Experts say this was just a temporary solution, and a strike could be a serious threat again soon.

The North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers with HensonFuerst Injury Lawyers point out that Wage and Hour disputes with employers are more common than a person might think. A case can be as simple as not receiving overtime pay or as complex as the recent dockworkers royalty dispute, but in either case, workers deserve to be fairly compensated.