JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Governor Rick Scott wants President Obama to intervene to stop thousands of longshoremen from walking off the job at the end of month.
Scott sent a letter to the President Obama on Thursday outlining the possible economic damage a strike could cost the state.
Thousands of Longshoremen, including workers at JAXPORT, have until December 29th to come up with a new contract.
According to the governor's office 550,000 jobs are either directly or indirectly are affected by Florida's cargo activity.
Nancy Rubin, spokesperson for JAXPORT, tells Action News that they do have a significant containerized cargo business that is handled by the International Longshoreman's Association and would be affected by the potential strike. It is up to the private companies that use the port to work out a new contract with the labor union since JAXPORT is not the longshoremen's employer.
"Our role in a strike situation would be to monitor the situation and keep our unaffected businesses running safely and efficiently," Rubin says.
