Longshoremen strike at midnight at Bayport Terminal on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks.

The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike. The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977.

Workers began picketing at the Port of Philadelphia shortly after midnight, walking in a circle at a rail crossing outside the port and chanting “No work without a fair contract.”

The union had message boards on the side of a truck reading: “Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands For Job Protection.”

Local ILA president Boise Butler said workers want a fair contract that doesn’t allow automation of their jobs.

Shipping companies made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices, he said. “Now we want them to pay back. They’re going to pay back,” Butler said.

He said the union will strike for as long as it needs to get a fair deal, and it has leverage over the companies.

“This is not something that you start and you stop,” he said. “We’re not weak,” he added, pointing to the union’s importance to the nation’s economy

At Port Houston, at least 50 workers started picketing around midnight local time carrying signs saying “No Work Without a Fair Contract.”

The U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, said Monday evening that both sides had moved off of their previous wage offers. But no deal was reached.

The union’s opening offer in the talks was for a 77% pay raise over the six-year life of the contract, with President Harold Daggett saying it’s necessary to make up for inflation and years of small raises. ILA members make a base salary of about $81,000 per year, but some can pull in over $200,000 annually with large amounts of overtime.

But Monday evening, the alliance said it had increased its offer to 50% raises over six years, and it pledged to keep limits on automation in place from the old contract. The union wants a complete ban on automation. It wasn’t clear just how far apart both sides are.

“We are hopeful that this could allow us to fully resume collective bargaining around the other outstanding issues in an effort to reach an agreement,” the alliance statement said.

In a statement early Tuesday, the union said it rejected the alliance’s latest proposal because it “fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.” The two sides had not held formal negotiations since June.

“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” Daggett said in the statement. “They must now meet our demands for this strike to end.”

The alliance said its offer tripled employer contributions to retirement plans and strengthened health care options.

Supply chain experts say consumers won’t see an immediate impact from the strike because most retailers stocked up on goods, moving ahead shipments of holiday gift items.

But if it goes more than a few weeks, a work stoppage would significantly snarl the nation’s supply chain, potentially leading to higher prices and delays in goods reaching households and businesses.

If drawn out, the strike will force businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause some goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season — potentially impacting delivery of anything from toys or artificial Christmas trees to cars, coffee and fruit.

The strike will likely have an almost immediate impact on supplies of perishable imports like bananas, for example. The ports affected by the strike handle 3.8 million metric tons of bananas each year, or 75% of the nation’s supply, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

It also could snarl exports from East Coast ports and create traffic jams at ports on the West Coast, where workers are represented by a different union. Railroads say they can ramp up to carry more freight from the West Coast, but analysts say they can’t move enough to make up for the closed Eastern ports.

“If the strikes go ahead, they will cause enormous delays across the supply chain, a ripple effect which will no doubt roll into 2025 and cause chaos across the industry,” noted Jay Dhokia, founder of supply chain management and logistics firm Pro3PL.

J.P. Morgan estimated that a strike that shuts down East and Gulf coast ports could cost the economy $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion per day, with some of that recovered over time after normal operations resume.

The strike comes just weeks before the presidential election and could become a factor if there are shortages. Retailers, auto parts suppliers and produce importers had hoped for a settlement or that President Joe Biden would intervene and end the strike using the Taft-Hartley Act, which allows him to seek an 80-day cooling off period.

But during an exchange with reporters on Sunday, Biden, who has worked to court union votes for Democrats, said “no” when asked if he planned to intervene in the potential work stoppage.

A White House official said Monday that at Biden’s direction, the administration has been in regular communication with the ILA and the alliance to keep the negotiations moving forward. The president directed Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard to convene the alliance’s board members Monday afternoon and urge them to resolve the dispute fairly and quickly — in a way that accounts for the success of shipping companies in recent years and contributions of union workers.

___

Krisher in reported from Detroit. Associated Press journalists Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, Mae Anderson and Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Josh Boak in Washington, and Annie Mulligan in Houston contributed to this report.

FILE – Cleanup continues, Feb. 24, 2023, at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

Settlement checks related to Norfolk Southern’s disastrous 2023 derailment could be delayed up to two years now because an appeal of a federal judge’s decision last week to approve the $600 million deal has been filed, lawyers in the case said Monday.

Many residents of East Palestine, Ohio, expressed outrage about the appeal because it will delay the payments they had been counting on to help them recover from the toxic train crash that disrupted their lives when it spewed hazardous chemicals into their community. Some people had planned to use the money to relocate.

People in town who are frustrated they won’t get their money right away lashed out at Rev. Joseph Sheely and started threatening him and his wife Monday because his name is on the appeal. Sheely did challenge the settlement this summer but said he specifically asked his lawyer to leave him out of any appeal and doesn’t want any part in it. He said with the serious health concerns he and his wife developed since the derailment, they can no longer tolerate the stress of being at the center of the case.

“I was trying to do something for the residents of East Palestine, including myself,” Sheely said. “But it seems like they don’t want anybody to do anything. They just want the cash. And so I’m done. I’m so totally done.”

The plaintiffs’ attorneys had hoped to start sending out the first checks before the end of the year, but that won’t happen because the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will first have to address concerns about whether the deal offers enough compensation and whether residents were given enough information to decide whether it is fair.

“We will do everything in our power to quickly resolve this appeal and prevent any further burdens on the residents and local businesses that want to move forward and rebuild their lives,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a statement. “It is tragic that one person is substituting their judgment for the entire community who wants this settlement, and instead of opting out, they have gone this route.”

The lawyers estimated that the payments will be delayed at least six to 12 months while the appellate court considers the appeal that was filed Friday but they could be delayed even longer if the case is appealed up to the U.S. Supreme Court or sent back for additional proceedings in Judge Benita Pearson’s court.

Sheely’s attorney, David Graham, said the statement from the plaintiff’s attorneys only served to put more pressure on his client and spurred on the threats.

“Their reckless statements have put my client in jeopardy and make my client feel unsafe in his own community,” Graham said.

The settlement offered payments of up to $70,000 per household for property damage and up to $25,000 per person for injuries to those who lived within two miles of the derailment. The payments would drop off significantly further out with only a few hundred dollars offered to people who live closer to the limit of 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.

The appeal won’t increase the $162 million in legal fees and $18 million in expenses the judge awarded to the plaintiff’s attorneys last week unless the deal is overturned and new fees are awarded as part of the case.

Residents posting on the “East Palestine off the rails!” Facebook group accused the pastor who filed the appeal of being greedy because one of his objections to the deal is the frustration that any payments residents received from the railroad since the derailment to temporarily relocate or replace damaged belongings will be deducted from any settlement they receive. Some characterized that as a desire to be compensated twice for the derailment.

But the vocal few who objected to the deal have said they have deeper concerns. They have said they don’t know the full extent of the chemicals they were exposed to because the plaintiff’s lawyers have refused to disclose what their expert found when he tested in town and because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t disclose everything it knows about the extent of the lingering contamination.

The town of East Palestine remains deeply divided over the derailment with some residents eager to move forward and put the disaster behind them while others who are still dealing with unexplained health problems can’t see how to do that. The dispute over the appeal in the class action case only adds to the divisions.

HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle Henry is sharing the following information and assurance regarding allegations of fraudulent voter registration forms surfacing in multiple Pennsylvania counties.

Apparent attempts to submit fraudulent voter registration forms in Berks, Lancaster, Monroe, and York counties have been defeated. The Office of Attorney General is working with the respective county officials to investigate those responsible for this conduct. Our office shares jurisdiction with county district attorneys to investigate violations of the state Election Code, and we are taking a collaborative approach to these matters.

While we will not be divulging sensitive information about these investigations, we want to clarify that the investigations regard voter registration forms, not ballots.

These attempts have been thwarted by the safeguards in place in Pennsylvania. We are working every day with our partners to ensure a fair, free, and safe election.

The investigations are ongoing, and offenders who perpetrated acts of fraud will be held accountable under the law.

Pennsylvanians who registered to vote before the deadline should expect to be able to vote on Election Day. Anyone who believes they properly registered to vote and is not on the books on Election Day is entitled to fill out a provisional ballot.

File photo from the PA DHS

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced a Request for Applications (RFA) seeking managed care organizations to administer services for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program – Pennsylvania’s program to provide health coverage to uninsured children and teens through age 19.

First established in Pennsylvania, CHIP is a national program that allows parents to purchase commercial insurance for their children.

“Pennsylvania’s CHIP program is a resource to make high quality, comprehensive health insurance accessible to families around our Commonwealth. This program was the foundation for what is now a national model for comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance for children,” said DHS Secretary Arkoosh. “We look forward to this opportunity to build on this program’s successes for children and families.”

CHIP was first established in 1992 when Governor Robert P. Casey signed the Children’s Health Insurance Act into law. The program was designed to help families who do not qualify for Medicaid (also known as Medical Assistance in PA) and could not afford to purchase private insurance for their children. The program expanded to a national model in 1997. Today, CHIP covers more than 195,000 children in Pennsylvania, making regular check-ups, screenings, vaccines, and care when a child is sick or injured affordable and accessible for families. CHIP offers no cost or low cost, and affordable plans depending on a family’s income.

Potential applicants should consult the RFA on the Commonwealth’s eMarketplace for a detailed explanation of the services the Department is attempting to procure for the CHIP program. Responses are due by October 18, 2024.

All information regarding the RFA is available online through eMarketplace.

(Story written by Snady Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondant, Published on September 30, 2024 at 10:09 A.M.)

(Hopewell Township, PA) Hopewell Township is having an annual pumpkin carving contest. The Community Outreach Committee and the township are sponsoring the contest.  Take a photo of your pumpkin and send  it to  communityoutreach@hopewelltwp.com by Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 4:30 p.m.

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 30, 2024 at 9:47 A.M.)

(Pittsburgh, PA) The race was on for runners at the 47th annual Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race on Sunday. Pittsburgh natives from all over the country came back for this event, according to organizers. The Great Race accepts donations to support medical research, with the funds every year going to the Richard S. Caliguiri Amyloidosis Fund.

Source for Photo: FILE – This April 2, 2021, file photo shows bridges spanning the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh. Republicans in Congress are making the politically brazen bet that it’s more advantageous to oppose President Joe Biden’s ambitious rebuild America agenda than to lend support for the costly $2.3 trillion undertaking for roads, bridges and other infrastructure investments. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 30, 2024 at 9:26 A.M.)

(Pennsylvania) The moon will temporarily have a next-door neighbor called a “mini moon.” This moon is actually an asteroid called 2024 PT5 that started orbiting Earth on Sunday and will do so for about 57 days, even though it will not complete a full orbit. Astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid used a telescope from Sutherland, South Africa to find the asteroid, which is about the size of a school bus, in August. 2020 was the last time one of these “mini moons” was spotted, and will leave Earth to travel through space on November 25, and will not pass by Earth again until 2055. 

Source for Photo: FILE – Impact craters cover the surface of the moon, seen from Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. The moon is about to get walloped by 3 tons of space junk, a punch that will carve out a crater that could fit several semitractor-trailers. A leftover rocket is expected to smash into the far side of the moon at 5,800 mph (9,300 kph) on Friday, March 4, 2022, away from telescopes’ prying eyes. It may take weeks, even months, to confirm the impact through satellite images. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 30, 2024 at 8:49 A.M.)

(Crescent Township, PA) Authorities have confirmed that a propane tank was the cause of an explosion in a Crescent Township home that killed 89-year-old David Mitchell and 87-year-old Helen Mitchell. A spokesperson for the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the investigation of the explosion that happened on March 12 in Crescent Township had been closed. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s safety division said Tuesday it had concluded its probe and found no evidence linking the blast to natural gas service under public utility jurisdiction. The home had no public utility natural gas service, and while Columbia Gas has natural gas mains in the general area, there were no utility gas mains in the immediate vicinity and no utility gas leaks were found, the commission said. 

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 30, 2024 at 8:03 A.M.)

(West Mifflin, PA) Kennywood partnered with Animal Friends, a full-service companion animal welfare organization in Pittsburgh, to host their third annual Dogtober Fest Halloween Parade & Costume Contest on Sunday. Over one-hundred dogs walked past the Jack Rabbit, Merry Go Round, and more, capping off with a Halloween costume contest. There were also prizes awarded for the best costume in categories such as Cutest, Creepiest, and Most Creative.  

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 27, 2024 at 9:54 A.M.)

(Harrisburg, PA) $635,352 in federal funding was awarded to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to help improve women’s access to critical health benefits across the state.

A $9 million Expanding Access to Women’s Health grant program is also included with the funding from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that the Biden-Harris Administration has in place to further advance and support women’s health. According to a release, the state will launch a multifaceted campaign focused on awareness and education about the importance of preventive care, including contraception. The funding was given to Pennsylvania and thirteen other states.

Source for Photo FILE – Twenty dollar bills are counted on June 15, 2018, in North Andover, Mass. The number of Americans who do not have a bank account fell to a record low last year, as the proliferation of online-only banks and an improving economy is bringing more Americans into the traditional financial system, according to a report Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)