| | | | |  | | By Sam Ogozalek | | | — Kamala Harris meets with the Teamsters today, courting a major presidential endorsement amid warning signs about her appeal to working-class voters. — A strike at East and Gulf coast ports appears increasingly likely. History shows how disruptive it could be to the economy. — Tens of thousands of Boeing workers are on the picket line. It’s an early challenge for the beleaguered company’s new CEO. IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. We’re glad you’re here. Send tips, feedback and song lyrics to Sam at sogozalek@politico.com, Chris at cmarquette@politico.com, Oriana at opawlyk@politico.com and Cassandra at cdumay@politico.com and follow us at @SamOgozalek, @ChrisMarquette_, @Oriana0214 and @cassandra_dumay. “Oh, we got some places to see/ I brought all the maps with me.” Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
| | SEEKING SUPPORT: Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters today, angling for the union’s last-minute backing in her truncated presidential bid. The union typically endorses the Democratic nominee, but this year its decision is drawing outsized interest after Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien initiated its first-ever roundtable interview process for the endorsement and spoke at the Republican National Convention (which drew the ire of some members). A SPLIT MEMBERSHIP: The drawn-out process means the Teamsters will have less time to promote their presidential endorsement and organize members. An internal straw poll earlier this year showed that more than one-third of Teamsters members planned to vote for Trump while about 45 percent were supporting President Joe Biden. WHAT POLLING SHOWS: Harris’ appeal to working-class voters represents an area for growth. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll shows her 17 points behind Trump among voters without a college degree. A Pew Research Center post-election analysis of the 2020 results showed Biden was only behind Trump by 8 points with these voters. Brittany Gibson has the story.
| | STRIKE LOOMS: The United States Maritime Alliance, or USMX, in a Friday update said there’s been no progress in contract negotiations with the International Longshoremen’s Association, adding “we remain committed to the bargaining process and need the ILA to return to the table.” The existing agreement expires in two weeks, Sept. 30, and covers about 25,000 workers at ports from Maine to Texas, according to USMX. The ILA didn’t respond to a request for comment. — MT readers will know how disruptive the strike could be. Many economists believe that an 11-day lockout of West Coast port workers in 2002, which President George W. Bush stepped in to end, cost the economy about $1 billion each day, according to the National Retail Federation.
| | THE LATEST BLOW: It’s been a tough year for Boeing. The Alaska Airlines door plug blowout. Allegations of shoddy production practices. Financial concerns. Mounting scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators. Now, it’s grappling with a major strike — a test for new CEO Kelly Ortberg. “A WEEK OR TWO”: The plane maker Friday saw 33,000 of its employees walk off the job after their union districts — the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 751 and W24 — overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer. While it’s yet another headache for the company, Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory, said both sides have experienced, sincere leaders and he expects the strike to last “a week or two.” Oriana has the story. DEAL REACHED: Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association announced Sunday they had reached a tentative, four-year agreement in ongoing contract negotiations that had threatened to cause a strike or lockout later this week among more than 5,200 pilots. Union members are expected to vote on the offer in the next month, Air Canada said. ALPA said the agreement includes pay raises.
| | | TARIFF TWEAK: The Biden administration announced Friday that its plan to quadruple tariffs on Chinese EVs will go into effect Sept. 27 and that a new 25 percent tariff on ship-to-shore cranes would be modified to exclude those ordered before May 14, Doug Palmer reports. The American Association of Port Authorities in a statement applauded the move and said the decision will prevent more than $130 million in unexpected costs for public ports. — “With the medium and long-term health of our economy and supply chains in mind, we are hopeful that the White House will redouble its efforts to, with the help of Congress, create incentives to build out a market for US manufacturing of this key port equipment so we can continue modernizing and upgrading our ports,” the AAPA added. “Until ship-to-shore cranes are available from American manufacturers, the Administration should suspend the proposed tariffs on cranes to prevent further harm to our ports and supply chains.”
| | | | THE FIGHT FOR MICHIGAN: Some Michigan Democrats are worried about Harris’ economic message — a warning signal for her campaign in the battleground state, which has 15 electoral votes. Harris is focusing her economic pitch on bread basket issues like housing and child care. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, in recent visits to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan has touted his policies to rebuild U.S. manufacturing, like microchips, clean energy and infrastructure investments, Gavin Bade reports. — “Consider me in the camp pushing on our future president to keep that industrial policy front and center,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee for the Senate in Michigan. The Harris campaign and allies downplay the shift in tone and say it’s natural for Harris to try to chart her own course when it comes to the economy. THIN MARGINS: Trump is angling for votes in the Great Lakes State, too, where autoworkers are crucial to success, planning a Tuesday visit to Flint for a town hall where he is expected to slam the Biden administration’s EV policies. Looking back at 2020, Biden won Michigan with 50.6 percent of the vote to Trump’s 47.8 percent. Key to the president’s victory was Wayne County, the home of Detroit, where Biden garnered nearly 69 percent of the vote.
| | AVs COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Starting early next year, Uber customers will be able to ride in Waymo’s driverless, electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Austin and Atlanta, the companies announced Friday. People will exclusively use the Uber app to hail the robotaxis. The AV and ride-sharing companies previously partnered to offer Uber users access to Waymo vehicles in the metro Phoenix area.
| | DISASTER RESPONSE: FHWA said Friday it is providing $802 million to 36 states, Guam and Puerto Rico for road and bridge repairs following catastrophic events like hurricanes and mudslides. Repairs will be reimbursed under FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program. A list of fiscal 2024 ER funding can be found here.
| | YEARS AND YEARS: The California Public Utilities Commission has OK’d regulations that, in some cases, would allow electric companies nearly nine years to connect EV charging stations to the power grid. The charging industry is not happy, Mike Lee reports for POLITICO’s E&E News.
| | — Bureau of Transportation Statistics Director Patricia Hu is retiring after more than a decade at the helm.
| | | | — “Inside Elon Musk’s Mushrooming Security Apparatus.” The New York Times. — “United Airlines Taps Elon Musk’s Starlink for In-Flight Wi-Fi.” The Wall Street Journal. — “What Scared Ford’s CEO in China.” The Wall Street Journal. — “Boeing Machinist Strike Adds Cash Crunch to New CEO’s Rescue Mission.” The Wall Street Journal. — “US Driving and Congestion Rates Are Higher Than Ever.” Bloomberg. — “Stranded in the CrowdStrike Meltdown: ‘No Hotel, No Food, No Assistance.’” The New York Times. — “China disappointed at EU ‘ignoring’ tariff efforts.” Reuters. — “Chinese EV giant BYD ramps up hiring as Beijing prioritises employment.” Reuters. — “Some avoid buying an EV because of charging issues. One company is working on a quick fix.” AP. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
