“Korean shipbuilding means layoff for US workers”: US labor unions revolt against MASGA project

Amid expectations that the MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) project—shipbuilding cooperation between South Korea and the U.S.—will gain momentum following the Korea–U.S. summit, concerns remain that domestic protectionist forces in the U.S., such as shipbuilding and maritime unions, could act as practical obstacles.

The Maritime Trades Department (MTD), a federation of U.S. shipyard unions, recently issued a statement titled “The Jones Act Is Under Attack Again”. It emphasized that “for over 100 years, the Jones Act has protected the American shipbuilding industry and provided good jobs,” but warned that “a new bill introduced by Democratic Congressman Ed Case and Republican Congressman James Moylan threatens the livelihoods of thousands.” The Jones Act requires that vessels operating in U.S. coastal trade must be built in the United States. The two lawmakers have proposed a bill—the Allied Partnership in Merchant Shipping Act—that would allow exceptions, permitting vessels built in allied countries to participate in U.S. coastal trade.

The unions argued: “This bill will allow ships built in foreign allied nations, including South Korea, to enter U.S. coastal trade. That means pink slips for American workers.” They stressed that “the Jones Act is not just economic policy but a lifeline for national security. Once the jobs are gone, they never come back.” On October 14, together with the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), the unions sent letters to Congress urging lawmakers to block the bill, warning against “sinking American shipyard jobs.”

The AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, has also taken an official stance: “Whether warships or commercial vessels, they must be built in the United States by American workers to safeguard national security and maintain strategic supply chains.” Supporters of existing protectionist laws—such as the Byrnes-Tollefson Act, which prohibits the construction of U.S. warships overseas—along with some lawmakers, argue that “even if it involves allies, allowing U.S. warships to be built abroad weakens the foundation of national security and the defense industry.”

For this reason, analysts expect that it will not be easy for the U.S. to immediately allow large-scale overseas procurement of warships, even from allies.