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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The International Longshoreman's Association will strike on October 1 if its wage demands aren't met.</li><li>The strike would impact the import and export of goods across most industries, from retail to cars.</li></ul>A major <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-congress-government-shutdown-ports-shipping-strike-september-30-2024-9">maritime workers strike</a> is looming, and it could mean a shutdown of key goods — from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plug-in-hybrid-prices-soaring-demand-electric-cars-2024-9">cars</a> to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-vs-target-grocery-shopping-which-is-better-review-2024-9">food</a> — across the East and Gulf Coasts.The International Longshoreman's Association, the largest union of maritime workers in the US, announced last week that it was prepared to strike on October 1 if demands in their union contract, primarily <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-us-states-high-wages-salaries-worker-rights-california-2024-8">higher wages</a>, are not met."A sleeping giant is ready to roar on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, if a new Master Contract Agreement is not in place," ILA President Harold Daggett said in a statement.According to an ILA press release, the union wrote in a letter to its membership that its workers, who primarily work on shipping docks to load, unload, and inspect cargo and operate heavy machinery, are "struggling to pay their mortgages and rent, car payments, groceries, utility bills, taxes, and in some cases, their children's education," emphasizing the need for boosted pay in its upcoming contract.A strike would have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baltimore-bridge-collapse-impact-imports-exports-cars-coal-farm-equipment-2024-3">widespread implications</a> across the US, with significant shipment delays that could set off a chain reaction of disruptions."A prolonged strike could lead to weeks, or possibly months, of shipping delays and backlogs, worsened by limited rerouting options, high costs and time constraints," Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, told BI. "The supply chain is inextricably linked, and as we enter the busiest shopping season of the year, businesses, retailers, and consumers alike will feel the impact of a stoppage."According to the National Association of Manufacturers, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://nam.org/mapping-the-impact-of-a-port-strike-32072/?stream=issue-transportation-infrastructure">over half</a> of imports and exports come through the East and Gulf Coast ports, handling pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and retail, among other things, and generating an average of over $2.1 billion each day. Depending on the length of the strike, supply-chain disruptions could also lead to price hikes for consumers.The United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the companies that employ longshoremen, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/9-23-24_USMX_STATEMENT_Update_on_Status_of_USMX-ILA_Negotiations.pdf">said</a> on September 23 that despite attempts to resume bargaining with the ILA they "have been unable to schedule a meeting to continue negotiations.""Our goal remains the same — we want to bargain and avoid a strike, but time is running out if the ILA is unwilling to return to the table," USMX added. In a Monday statement, ILA said that the sides had communicated multiple times in the past weeks but that a stalemate remains in place over wage offers.<h2 id="384d3982-57cd-4459-bfb2-aa16e8cd673d">A strike could delay shipments and trigger price hikes</h2>If the union strikes, all industries will be impacted — but time-sensitive industries, like cars or pharmaceuticals, would face severe disruptions right off the bat, Mia Ginter, director of ocean export products and transportation company CH Robinson, wrote in an August <a target="_blank" href="https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/resources/blog/prepare-for-a-potential-east-and-gulf-coast-port-strike/">blog post</a>."Many auto parts and components are imported through the East Coast, so the risk of production delays would be high," Ginter said.At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, operators are trying to bring in "as many ships as possible" ahead of a potential strike, director Bethann Rooney said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/live/M--o1uIqezs?t=6360s">press conference</a>. That includes encouraging the shippers to get as much cargo out as "humanly possible" and as quickly as possible.The retail industry could also face disruptions from the strike."Many retailers have already taken steps to mitigate the potential impact of a strike by bringing in products earlier or shifting products to the West Coast," Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation's vice president of supply chain and customs policy, told BI. "The global supply chain is a complex system and even a minor disruption would have a negative impact and cause delays at a critical time for both retailers and consumers."Gold <a target="_blank" href="https://nrf.com/blog/port-labor-strike-gets-closer-reality">wrote</a> in early September that holiday shipments would likely not arrive on time: "Manufacturers might not receive parts, materials and supplies needed for production, which will lead to assembly lines shutting down. And farmers won't be able to get their products to overseas markets, which could lead to lost sales."The port of New York and New Jersey ranks fourth among the country's top 25 ports for total tonnage, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bts.gov/sites/bts.dot.gov/files/2024-01/2024_Port_Performance_Report_0.pdf">data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics</a>. An <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/impact-story/capability-support-transportation-system-efficiency-resilience">analysis</a> by the nonprofit research group Mitre found that the strike would have a significant economic impact on ports in New York and New Jersey, with a daily loss of around $640 million."We are coordinating with partners across the supply chain to prepare for any potential impacts," Steve Burns, a PANYNJ spokesperson, told BI. "For the over 600,000 regional jobs our port supports and the $240 billion in goods moved through here each year, we urge both sides to find common ground and keep the cargo flowing for the good of the national economy."Grace Zwemmer, associate US economist with Oxford Economics, wrote in an early September note that it would likely take four to seven days to clear up the backlog from each day the strike continues, "meaning even a two-week strike could disrupt supply chains until 2025." She referred to estimates from Sea-Intelligence, which predicted that a strike would prevent 74,000 shipping containers from being unloaded each day. Additionally, she wrote that the strike would mean it would take longer for manufacturers to receive goods, which would, in turn, jack up prices for consumers.Meanwhile, trade groups <a target="_blank" href="https://documents.nam.org/COMM/Joint%20Association%20Coalition%20Letter%20to%20President%20Biden%20-%20East%20Coast%20Gulf%20Coast%20Port%20Labor%20Negotiations%20-%20Final%20091724.pdf">have called</a> on the Biden administration to step in and help negotiate a deal — or at least ensure negotiations continue instead of a strike. They warned that a labor stoppage could harm both the economy and consumers."A strike at this point in time would have a devastating impact on the economy, especially as inflation is on the downward trend," the trade organizations wrote.Some ports have already begun prepping guidance for customers should the union go on strike — the Port of Houston wrote in a memo that it would be extending its gate hours leading up to the strike to allow more time for the transport of goods, with other ports also scrambling to unload shipments in anticipation of the strike."Throughout the pandemic, Longshore workers never took a day off," ILA Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett <a target="_blank" href="https://ilaunion.org/union-will-be-on-right-side-of-history-if-it-must-strike-october-1-corporate-greed-must-end-ila-executive-vice-president-dennis-a-daggett/">said</a> on September 20. "We ensured the shelves were stocked and the supply chains stayed strong, even as we lost far too many of our own. Now, we need the public's support. The very corporations that profited off our hard work refuse to share those profits with the workers who make them possible."

Get ready for a dockworker strike that could disrupt everything from medicine to holiday gifts

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new lawsuit alleges that a Taco Bell holiday party last year went off the rails.</li><li>The lawsuit alleges the party devolved into employees getting drunk and having sex in public.</li></ul>A new lawsuit alleges that a Taco Bell holiday party last year went off the rails and devolved into employees getting drunk, having public sex, and vomiting in a guacamole bowl.The suit was filed by a woman who worked at a Taco Bell in San Pedro, California, at the time and attended the holiday party. The lawsuit alleges that she reported the incident and was retaliated against by people associated with the defendants of the case.Alvarado Restaurant Group, the owner of the franchise that runs the Taco Bell location, did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Taco Bell said in a statement to Business Insider: "While we don't own or manage this location, the franchisee who owns and operates this restaurant has shared that they take these claims very seriously."The suit alleges that the woman's supervisor invited her to the party at the Taco Bell restaurant they worked at in December 2022. The lawsuit alleges that when she arrived, she saw her supervisor had covered the windows of the restaurant and the cameras for the lobby inside the restaurant with wrapping paper.The supervisor, who is a defendant, served alcohol at the party, and multiple people were "overserved," the complaint alleges.The lawsuit says that the woman who filed the lawsuit left the restaurant at one point and socialized outside for a little while. When she got back around midnight, the lawsuit alleges that she "witnessed her coworker" having "sex with his wife in front of everyone at the party."The lawsuit alleges that the coworker's wife "was bent over and was kissing" her supervisor and another coworker simultaneously. The woman who filed the lawsuit was "shocked, disgusted and outraged" and ran outside, the lawsuit says.But she had left her guacamole bowl inside, the suit says. The lawsuit alleges that when she went back to retrieve it, she saw her supervisor and a coworker throwing up."One vomited in the trash, and the other in Plaintiff's guacamole bowl," the complaint alleges.The woman alleges in the lawsuit that she reported what happened at the holiday party to Taco Bell's HR department and Alvarado Restaurant Group, the owner of the franchise. Her supervisor and other employees who were involved in the public sexual encounter were fired, the suit alleges.But, the lawsuit alleges, after they were terminated, "someone associated" with the defendants "smashed out the back left window" of her car in the middle of the night.The lawsuit alleges that Taco Bell and Alvarado Restaurant Group "did nothing about these threats and instead told [her] that they were transferring her to a new location rather than disciplining the employees who threatened her."The woman ultimately quit her job and "suffered actual, consequential, and incidental financial losses," the complaint alleges.The lawsuit also names Taco Bell, Alvarado Restaurant Group, and "DOES 1 through 50" as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that Does 1-50 are people who were "negligently, intentionally, or otherwise legally responsible in some manner for the events and happenings."

A chaotic Taco Bell holiday party included public sex, lots of booze, and vomit in the guacamole, lawsuit alleges

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I'm a public-speaking expert, and I've been helping people give toasts for decades.</li><li>The first rule is that you need to follow a structure, including an introduction and an anecdote.</li></ul>Giving a toast is one of the best ways to warm up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/epcot-during-holidays-highlights-disney-world-2023-11">the holidays</a> and every gathering you're a part of. The combination of alcohol, family, and poignant words makes everyone feel a bit cozier.But how do you make a successful toast? How do you make a toast that touches people — and doesn't cause massive, painful embarrassment?I'm a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presentation-tips-powerpoint-public-speaking-2023-1">public-speaking</a> expert, and I've been helping people get over their stage fright and craft the perfect toast for over 35 years. Here are my best tips.<h2>I'm a big fan of applying the 80-20 rule when it comes to toasts</h2>The 80-20 rule is an easy way to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-presentation-tips-2019-5">break down a speech</a>. The 20% of a successful toast is all in the technique and structure, which can be encapsulated in five steps.Step one is simple: Tell everyone who you are, especially if there's anyone in the audience who might not know you; remember, there may be new faces at the holiday table. For example, if I want to give a toast thanking my grandmother for cooking a wonderful <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/review-is-cracker-barrel-thanksgiving-turkey-meal-worth-it-family-2023-11">holiday meal</a>, I could start by saying, "For those of you who might not know, I'm Richard."Next, you have to tell the audience what the theme or message of the toast will be at the start. For example, I might say, "I wanted to say a few words about family and the holidays." If I plan to go give a toast about a specific person, such as my grandma, I can say something like: "I wanted to personally acknowledge Grandma for this holiday dinner."After you do that, I recommend weaving in a funny and poignant story or anecdote. I suggest transitioning to that by saying, "And I think we all remember when Grandma burned the turkey several years ago."After your anecdote, you should end your toast with a call to action. The simplest way is to say, "I want everyone to raise their glasses and join me in toasting Grandma."For the fifth and final step, all you have to do is thank everyone. I would say, "Thank you all so much for being here."There are many variations on the above, of course, but perhaps this structure will — at the very least — help you relax.<h2>What about the remaining 80%?</h2>The other 80% is the part that will really touch the audience.If you're talking about something that makes you happy, go there; tap into and share that happiness. If you're talking about something that deeply touched you, go there. Tap into and share what you are passionate about. If you're talking about how much you appreciate and respect a colleague, family member, or friend — you guessed it — go there. Feel the feelings and don't be afraid to show them. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Allow yourself to cry if the tears are coming up. Allow yourself to pause — even for a long time — if emotions wash over you and make it hard to talk.This is the essence of a great toast and, more importantly, the core of any family, company, or friend gathering.And when you allow those emotions to flow freely, you will touch and move everyone in the audience, regardless of how you do the other 20%.<h2>Be brave and offer to make a toast this holiday season</h2>What we love about the holidays is that it's the one time of the year when people — helped along by some rum punch, perhaps — take off their daily facades and allow themselves to be themselves.So take advantage of the moment, and volunteer to give a toast this holiday season.

I'm a public-speaking expert. Here's how to give a memorable toast at your company and family holiday parties.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Argentina's government declared Tuesday a public holiday to mark its World Cup triumph.</li><li>It said it wants the whole country to "express their deepest joy for the national team."</li></ul>The Argentine government has declared Tuesday a public holiday so that the country can "express their deepest joy for the national team" winning the soccer World Cup.Argentina <a href="https://www.insider.com/lionel-messi-cements-status-as-goat-argentina-win-world-cup-2022-12">beat France in a thrilling final in Qatar on Sunday</a> to claim its third title. The country last won the contest in 1986.The team arrived home in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, in the early hours of Tuesday and was greeted by thousands of fans, who lined the streets as the players travelled on an open-top bus to their Football Association's headquarters.The main celebration are due to be at the capital city's Obelisk monument at midday local time, <a href="https://twitter.com/Argentina?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">said the Argentine Football Association (AFA).</a>Lionel Messi, <a href="https://www.insider.com/lionel-messi-cements-status-as-goat-argentina-win-world-cup-2022-12">the team's captain who scored twice in the final</a>, said he can't wait to celebrate with the fans."I want them to wait for me, I can't wait to go there and enjoy it with them," he said, <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/argentina-arg/story/4835380/argentina-declares-national-holiday-for-world-cup-celebration-on-tuesday">according to ESPN.</a>

Argentina declares public holiday to celebrate World Cup triumph

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A bill proposing a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. was first introduced in 1968.</li><li>It became a federal holiday in 1983 when then-President Ronald Reagan first signed a bill into law.</li></ul>Martin Luther King Jr. is the most decorated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/african-americans-never-heard-of-should-know">civil rights icon</a> in American history. But it took more than a decade after he died for the country to celebrate him with a national holiday.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inspiring-martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-2017-1">Martin Luther King Jr. Day</a> is the second federal holiday of every calendar year (after New Year's Day). The holiday marks King's birthday, which was on January 15, 1929. Although <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/speeches-martin-luther-king-jr-2019-1">MLK Jr. Day</a> falls on King's actual birthday this year, that's not always the case.Instead, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/98th-congress/house-bill/3706/all-info">King Holiday Bill</a>, which sought to make his birthday a legal public holiday, designated the third Monday of every January as MLK Jr. Day.The bill was first introduced on April 8, 1968, four days after King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, <a target="_blank" href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/15-year-battle-martin-luther-king-jr-day">according to the National Museum of African American History &amp; Culture</a>. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/martin-luther-king-jr-final-hours-photos-2023-1">King was assassinated on April 4</a> of that year at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.The King Holiday Bill was a bipartisan measure sponsored by Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan — a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-conyers-longest-serving-black-congressman-dies-at-90-2019-10">founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus</a> — and Republican Sen. Edward Brooke of Massachusetts.The House of Representatives first voted on the King Holiday Bill in 1979, 11 years after it was introduced. It didn't pass until four years later.The bill's passage was a hard-won fight and didn't just involve lawmakers.Music legend Stevie Wonder dedicated the song "Happy Birthday" to King in 1981, singing, "There ought to be a time that we can set aside to show just how much we love you."Two years later, President Ronald Reagan signed the measure into law — in 1983, 15 years after it was first introduced — and it took nearly two more decades for all 50 states to observe the day, according to the National Museum of African American History &amp; Culture.The first time Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed was in 1986, <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090120235156/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872501,00.html">according to Time</a>.But only 27 states and Washington, DC, observed it at the time. It took another 14 years for all the states to observe it, per Time.South Carolina became the last state, in 2000, to officially designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. It was the same year the state took down the Confederate flag from its statehouse.In some states, King shares the day. Alabama and Mississippi also designate the third Monday in January to honor the Confederate general Robert E. Lee.As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, public schools and universities are closed, and it's a bank holiday. The USPS is also closed, and public libraries are generally closed. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/mlk-day.htm">National parks will be open</a> on the day and are offering free admission.King, former President George Washington, and Christopher Columbus are the only public figures with federal holidays recognizing them."To me, [King] is the outstanding international leader of the 20th century without ever holding office," Conyers said in 2015. "What he did — I doubt anyone else could have done."

How Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chinese consumers are back from the festive Chinese New Year season next week.</li><li>That doesn't mean the economy will pick up.</li></ul>China's economy and markets were weak coming into 2024, but investor sentiment could worsen after the ongoing Chinese New Year break.This year marks China's second Chinese New Year after COVID-19 restrictions ended.The entire country is on a public holiday break until the end of the week, which has boosted consumption and travel. Authorities expect people in China to make a record 9 billion <a target="_blank" href="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-02-13/Consumption-and-travel-boom-in-Chinese-New-Year-holiday-1r9QtTlaJRm/">domestic passenger trips</a> over the festive season.While data on consumer spending for the season is not available yet, Chinese authorities are already hopeful for a boom, with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce branding 2024 the <a target="_blank" href="https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-02-08/Spring-Festival-to-ignite-China-s-year-of-consumption-promotion-1r1FYj4VRzq/p.html">"Year of Consumption Promotion."</a>Analysts, however, are less optimistic.<h2>A gloomy economic outlook for spring</h2>Nomura analysts expect China's economy to worsen into the spring, as Beijing has not been able to revive the battered property sector.Consumer spending on services is also likely to taper off, they wrote in a note on Tuesday."Service consumption growth will likely slow sharply after the Chinese New Year holiday on fading pent-up demand and weakening consumer confidence," the economists wrote.Ongoing geopolitical tensions amid the US election season do not help the picture in China, the Nomura economists added.These challenges hang over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-beijing-refuses-admit-broken-down-failing-structural-issues-2024-2">the world's second-largest economy</a> just as it needs to engineer a convincing recovery. China has been unable to sustain a growth spurt more than a year after lifting COVID-19 lockdowns, contributing to a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-stock-market-meltdown-brutal-year-explainer-whats-happening-2024-1">collapse in investor confidence.</a>China needs to stop the drag on growth, Rich Lesser, the global chair of Boston Consulting Group, wrote in a note on Tuesday."The shrinking real estate sector and weak equity markets remain headwinds as they impair the confidence and spending power of households whose consumption is needed to drive growth," Lesser wrote.<h2>The markets aren't signaling positivity</h2>Hong Kong's stock market was the first to open for trade after the festive holiday — but the picture wasn't pretty against the backdrop of a decline in US stock markets overnight after a hotter-than-expected <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-cpi-consumer-price-index-january-housing-food-energy-prices-2024-2">January inflation reading</a> in the US.<a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/hang-seng-china-enterprise">Hang Seng China Enterprises Index</a> fell as much as 2% before trading 1.1% higher at at 1:50 pm local time on Wednesday. The index is down 9% so far this year.Hong Kong's benchmark <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/hang_seng">Hang Seng Index</a> also fell as much as 2% before and was up 0.4%. The index is down 8.5% this year to date.The gains came after <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-markets-mainland-hong-kong-stocks-losses-economy-woes-2024-1">trillions of dollars lost</a> in the mainland and Hong Kong markets since they hit their peaks in 2021.Beijing is paying attention and trying to put a floor under losses.Authorities have <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-property-data-ugly-despite-support-stimulus-measures-crisis-2024-2">pulled more than a dozen moves</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-property-data-ugly-despite-support-stimulus-measures-crisis-2024-2"> since January to try to stabilize </a>the stock market rout and support downbeat property market demand amid its real-estate crisis.Even Chinese leader Xi Jinping was set to pay personal attention to the market slump, stoking traders' hopes of a forceful market rescue plan. After all, there were suggestions earlier that authorities are considering a <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-23/china-mulls-stock-market-rescue-package-backed-by-278-billion">stabilization fund</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-23/china-mulls-stock-market-rescue-package-backed-by-278-billion"> to rescue the flailing</a> stock market.On February 7, Xi's administration replaced the country's top markets regulator. Analysts, however, are skeptical if the move will solve <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-markets-xi-jinping-fires-markets-regulator-control-reforms-2024-2">fundamental problems</a> in China's economy and markets.Mainland stock markets are closed this week for public holidays.

You Searched For "public holiday" and got 6 results

Get ready for a dockworker strike that could disrupt everything from medicine to holiday gifts

Ayelet Sheffey,Juliana Kaplan

A chaotic Taco Bell holiday party included public sex, lots of booze, and vomit in the guacamole, lawsuit alleges

Sonam Sheth

I'm a public-speaking expert. Here's how to give a memorable toast at your company and family holiday parties.

Richard Greene

Argentina declares public holiday to celebrate World Cup triumph

Barnaby Lane

How Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday

Sonam Sheth

Chinese consumers are about to return from the holidays. That doesn't mean the economy will pick up.

Huileng Tan

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