A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The strike that shut down East Coast and Gulf Coast ports is over.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The dockworkers' union reached a tentative deal with ocean carriers and port operators. This ends a three-day strike for now. Negotiators faced two big questions, and this agreement answers one while leaving the other unresolved.
MARTÍNEZ: Let's bring in NPR's labor correspondent Andrea Hsu. So what's the question they answered, Andrea?
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Yeah, well, it was wages. You know, the union had wanted 77% in raises over six years. The companies had offered close to 50%. The White House was working furiously behind the scenes, talking to the companies, talking to the union, trying to get them back to the table. And it appeared in the end they met somewhere in the middle. They landed on this 62% increase over six years. That's according to people familiar with the talks who weren't authorized to speak. Any way you look at it, A, 62% is a big number and a big win for the union.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, what was the case for that raise?
HSU: Well, the union's president, Harold Daggett, has really hammered the point that the ocean carriers - you know, companies like Maersk and China Ocean Shipping - that they, along with the companies that run the ports, had made so, so much money during the pandemic. And President Biden, you know, was backing him up on this, saying ocean carriers, in some cases, had seen their profits grow by 800% during the pandemic - 800%. Biden pointed out, you know, the CEOs and the shareholders had gotten their share, and workers deserve something meaningful, too. After all, they had shown up every day all through COVID, putting themselves at risk.
I talked with a labor historian about this yesterday, Peter Cole. He's at Western Illinois University. He thought the union's demands of a 77% raise were reasonable for all the reasons Biden cited. And he also pointed out this is a six-year contract that they're negotiating, and that's a really long time.
PETER COLE: Six years really ties your hands because, like, who knows what the economy looks like?
HSU: You know, A, back in 2018, when they negotiated their last contract, no one had any idea that a pandemic was coming, that the shipping industry would go bonkers or that inflation would get as high as it did.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Now, OK, earlier, we mentioned a big unresolved question. How did they address that?
HSU: Yeah, well, this other issue is automation. The union wants language ensuring that humans will continue to do the work of moving shipping containers, not machines. And the two sides have agreed to extend the old contract until the middle of January, so they can continue to negotiate that and all these other issues. Harold Daggett, the union president, has said even partially automated equipment is a problem. He called it a back door to getting rid of workers. The thing is, A, there are already several ports on the East Coast that have advanced technology. They have these automated cranes that move containers around the container yards, that put them on trucks. So it's really hard to see how you go backwards from there. It's really shaping up to be a bitter fight.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, so now that everyone can take a deep breath and blow out, Andrea, is it safe to say that an economic crisis was avoided?
HSU: Yeah, I mean, for now. It will take some days to get everything back to normal. Container ships have been piling up off the East Coast and the Gulf Coast, you know, just waiting for the strike to end. Yesterday, just hours before the strike ended, I talked to an artificial Christmas tree importer who said, you know, we have trees, we have wreaths, we have garlands stuck on these ships. So they are no doubt relieved that the strike is over and that these decorations will be making their way to shore well in time for the holidays.
MARTÍNEZ: I'll be shopping for that artificial tree soon then. NPR's labor correspondent Andrea Hsu, thank you.
HSU: You're welcome.
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INSKEEP: We are now several days into October, which means that people who follow politics are watching for an October surprise.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, the idea of an October surprise goes back decades. It means some last-minute news that threatens to change an election. It can be a conspiracy theory, an idea that maybe the other side will spring something on the other side. It also can be just a news event. And this October, Vice President Harris has a couple. She has two - the response to Hurricane Helene and the conflict in the Middle East.
INSKEEP: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is traveling with Vice President Harris this week. Franco, good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: I guess I should note first - people are already voting. That's, like, almost getting too late for an...
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...October surprise, but here we are. And what makes these particular events - the hurricane and the Middle East war - treacherous for Harris specifically?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, the Vice President has been trying to make the case that she's an experienced leader. But these kind of events, as you've noted, can create uncertainty, whether it's locally in a state, like North Carolina or Georgia, or even more globally in a situation like the Middle East. And if people, you know, feel some uncertainty about whether the administration is doing a good job responding, I mean, it could impact their vote, you know, especially if things get worse in the last few weeks of the campaign, which is when we are now. I mean, just as an example, we've seen how big storms can hurt a president's reputation. I mean, just think about George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina.
INSKEEP: Oh, yeah, that's when his reputation - or rather his approval ratings anyway - cratered in 2005. You can also go the other way. I'm thinking of Superstorm Sandy, which hit just before the election in 2012.
ORDOÑEZ: Right. And I think that's an example that gave then-President Barack Obama the chance to show leadership at a time when everyone was really concerned, and they were also paying attention. My colleague actually, Gus Contreras, he spoke with a Democratic strategist, Ian Russell, about this. And Russell says the response to Hurricane Helene is a chance for Harris to demonstrate these same kind of leadership qualities.
IAN RUSSELL: It's a great opportunity for her to demonstrate leadership. What she has to do and what she is doing is showing up and showing that she's engaged, showing that she's capable of stepping up to the challenges that the country and the world face. And I think she's doing that very well.
INSKEEP: Interesting that he says showing up. That's part of this - is symbolism - do you appear to be on the scene and empathizing with people and on top of the situation? So how's her campaign trying to take advantage?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, well, they're definitely trying to make sure that she's on camera talking about these things. I mean, just an example, you know, after Iran sent missiles into Israel this week, Harris got out there, and she expressed support for Israel and concern about the escalation. And then I traveled with her on Wednesday to Georgia. She surveyed the damage and talked to families who lost homes and lost loved ones.
I mean, her campaign says that she's demonstrating, quote, "serious leadership" and that it's a clear contrast with former President Donald Trump, who they say is just fanning the flames of division. I mean, Trump was in Georgia on Monday and said that the governor hadn't been able to reach President Biden - something that wasn't true. Harris is planning another one of these trips to survey the damage but in North Carolina in the coming days.
INSKEEP: Let's stay with Trump, though, for a moment. Is this also a challenge or an opportunity for him?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, he certainly sees it that way. I mean, his campaign is seeing them as opportunities to raise doubts about this administration. I mean, just as an example, at multiple rallies Trump has attacked Harris and Biden over the conflict in the Middle East, as he did yesterday in Michigan. And he's also been attacking Harris over the storms, saying people aren't getting the help they need.
INSKEEP: OK, that's NPR's Franco Ordoñez, who's been traveling with Vice President Harris. He's in Detroit. Franco, thanks so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Steve.
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INSKEEP: A federal jury in Memphis, Tenn., has delivered a mixed verdict in a police brutality case.
MARTÍNEZ: Three former officers were found not guilty on the harshest charges they faced, which could have put them in prison for life for the beating death of Tyre Nichols. But they were convicted on others, which brought this chant from Nichols' family and supporters outside the courthouse.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Justice for Tyre.
INSKEEP: So was this justice? NPR's Debbie Elliott has been covering the trial and joins us now. Debbie, good morning.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: Would you remind us of the backdrop of this case?
ELLIOTT: Yeah, this was a federal civil rights trial, and it was fired Memphis police detectives Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. All of them were acquitted of the most serious charges here - that their actions led to the death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop in 2023. But they were convicted of obstruction of justice and witness tampering in an attempt to cover up what had happened. Haley was also found guilty of depriving Nichols of his rights by using excessive force and other charges.
Over about a month's time, jurors saw a whole lot of graphic video evidence of the beating, and they heard testimony from two other ex-officers who were involved, who had pleaded guilty in this case. Defense attorneys the whole time, though, had argued that these officers were acting in line with use of force protocols because Nichols had failed to comply with police orders. The jury deliberated for about six hours before returning what I would say is a rather nuanced verdict.
INSKEEP: Yeah, and listening to you, Debbie, I'm thinking of a couple of broad themes in law enforcement. One is that it is very hard to convict police officers in these cases because of the way the law is structured. They have a job to do. They have rules in which they're allowed to do it, and they're allowed to use considerable force. But the other thing is the old saying that it's not the crime. It's the cover-up. And that seems to be what got the officers here. So how is Nichols' family reacting?
ELLIOTT: Well, they were very aware of what you were talking about - how hard it is to win convictions in these kinds of police brutality cases. So they see this as a victory because they were able to watch federal marshals escort these three former cops immediately out of the courtroom. Here's Keyana Dixon, who is Tyre Nichols' sister.
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KEYANA DIXON: It's a bittersweet day. I will never get my little brother back. But to see those officers held accountable for what they did and put our family through did give us some hope for the future that maybe this won't ever happen to another family.
INSKEEP: OK, the hope that this doesn't happen again - what are people in Memphis saying about that possibility?
ELLIOTT: You know, some of the activists I spoke with last night were still just sort of trying to wrap their heads around what this means. They seemed a bit deflated that the ex-officers weren't convicted of the harshest charges, given the video evidence. Earlier in the day, I spoke with activist Paula Buress. She had been standing at the courthouse all day with a handmade cardboard sign with Tyre Nichols' name on it, and she characterizes this case as proof that the culture of policing in Memphis needs to change.
PAULA BURESS: It just corroborates everything we've been saying for a long time - the victims - we don't want to become complacent and forget about this long journey that we're on. It's going to take a while.
ELLIOTT: There is some hope that an ongoing civil rights investigation by the Justice Department might force change.
INSKEEP: Debbie, thanks so much for the insights - really appreciate it.
ELLIOTT: You're welcome.
INSKEEP: That's NPR's Debbie Elliott in Memphis, Tenn. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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