The day the strike launched, CNN reported that “few if any relief supplies would be arriving in the hurricane-battered Southeast via ship.” This is because moving aid by boat isn’t an effective transportation method for emergency response, which will instead distribute supplies via inland road and rail networks that can get to the affected area much faster, and the docks impacted by the strike are mainly serviced by ships bringing goods from other countries, not American cargo.
Fox, however, ignored this information to attack the Biden-Harris administration for its response to the strike, weaponizing a natural disaster and maligning the workers themselves. In particular, network critics claimed Biden’s refusal to intervene in the strike by invoking the Taft-Hartley Act was proof that he cannot lead during a crisis. In actuality, Republican governors in the states most-affected by the historic storm praised the administration’s disaster response, and invoking Taft-Hartley would undermine the striking workers, requiring them to work while negotiating a contract; something that has no clear benefit to survivors of Hurricane Helene, but would benefit the shipping companies.
On October 3, the ILA announced a tentative deal to suspend the strike without needing federal intervention, showing the contract negotiations are close to a final deal that includes increased wages. The dockworkers resumed work immediately and experts say it's unlikely a three-day strike will impact the supply chain much at all. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency maintains a dedicated website to dispel other rumors swirling around ongoing disaster relief efforts.
