Acting Labor Sec’y on Port Union Boss’ Threat to ‘Cripple’ Economy: ‘People Can Say a Bunch of Things’ in Talks

On Friday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” acting Labor Secretary Julie Su responded to International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett’s threat to “cripple” the economy by stating that “anyone who’s been a part of these things knows that when negotiations are going on, they can get heated, people can say a bunch of things.” And “longshoremen play a very critical role in our economy, and this negotiation helped to highlight that.”

Co-host Carl Quintanilla asked, “There was this video of Harold Daggett mentioning that he would — ‘I will cripple you‘ was the phrase he used trying to explain the leverage that the longshoremen had over the entire economy. Do you think that colored perception of the union? Did it move these negotiations in any way?”

Su responded, “I think anyone who’s been a part of these things knows that when negotiations are going on, they can get heated, people can say a bunch of things. The reality is, that longshoremen play a very critical role in our economy, and this negotiation helped to highlight that. These are difficult, often dangerous jobs. They are jobs that allow people to make a good, honest living, and this agreement is going to help make sure that that continues to be the case.”

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