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U.S. NEWS Monday 30 SepteMber 2024

Pallbearers carry the casket of Massachusetts State Police
recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia at the start of his funeral service
at the Mercadante Funeral Home in Worcester, Mass., Saturday,
Sept. 24, 2024.
(John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP)
Massachusetts police gather

at funeral for trooper recruit

Containers are moved at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J., on June 30, 2021.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) who died during training
US retailers brace for potential pain By Patrick White investigation into Delgado-

from a longshoremen's strike Asosciated Press Garcia's death.
The state must “immediately
(AP) - A large law enforce-
ment presence turned out suspend anyone potentially
By Tom Krisher artificial trees it sells each “ILA unity remains strong in Worcester on Saturday to involved and responsible for
Associated Press year. But it would lose rev- and is growing,” James honor a state police recruit the fatal boxing match to
(AP) - With a dockworkers' enue if 150,000 of the trees McNamara, spokesman who died after becoming ensure the safety and well-
strike threatening to close got stuck in the pipeline. for the International Long- unresponsive during a train- being of the remaining ca-
ports on the East and Gulf Other businesses face shoremen’s Association, ing exercise. dets in the Massachusetts
coasts beginning this week, the same predicament, said in a statement Sunday. Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, State Police Academy,” in
Chris Butler is growing wor- with goods that could be He said the union would up- died at a hospital on Sept. addition to making other
ried. stranded at sea if 45,000 date the public on any new 13 a day after becoming safety and accountability
Butler is CEO of the Na- members of the Interna- developments by 11 a.m. unresponsive during a de- improvements, Lawyers for
tional Tree Company, and, tional Longshoremen's As- Monday. fensive tactics exercise in a Civil Rights said in its state-
like many businesses, his sociation make good on The union is demanding sig- boxing ring and suffering a ment.
is counting on shipments their threat to strike. They nificantly higher wages and “medical crisis,” authorities Massachusetts State Police
that are en route from Asia could shut down 36 ports a total ban on the automa- have said. The state attorney and the Massachusetts Of-
but won't reach their ports from Maine to Texas that tion of cranes, gates and general has since named an fice of the Attorney General
before an expected strike handle about half the moving containers in the attorney to lead an outside did not immediately respond
by longshoremen starting goods shipped into and out loading and unloading of investigation into the death to requests for comment on
at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time of the United States. (West freight. of Delgado-Garcia, whose Saturday.
Tuesday. Coast dockworkers belong The Toy Association, the funeral was held Saturday. Delgado-Garcia, of Worces-
The company, based in to a different union and nation’s leading toy trade Delgado-Garcia's mother ter, died after the boxing ring
New Jersey, is an importer aren't involved in the strike.) group, was among about and others have said they exercise took place at the
of artificial Christmas trees A prolonged strike would 200 organizations that want answers and account- Massachusetts State Police
and other holiday deco- force companies to pay asked President Joe Biden ability from the investigation, Academy in New Braintree,
rations. If a strike were to shippers for the delays, and in a letter this month to work and she has raised questions a little more than 60 miles (97
last just a few days, there goods could arrive too late with both sides to reach an about whether the training kilometers) west of Boston.
might be time afterward to for the high point of holiday agreement. The National exercise was unnecessarily Massachusetts State Police
unload the trees, transport shopping season. On Fri- Grain and Feed Associa- violent. has said it has suspended
them to warehouses and day, top Biden administra- tion also urged Biden to On Saturday, police carried full-contact boxing training
have them ready for cus- tion officials met with port take action to avert a strike, Delgado-Garcia's casket, activities among recruits in
tomers this season. operators and told them which would come just as which was draped in an the wake of Delgado-Gar-
Yet if a strike were to keep they should negotiate with harvest season gets under- American flag, from a fu- cia's death.
ports closed until, say, No- the union ahead of Tues- way. neral home as part of the Delgado-Garcia was born
vember, about 150,000 day, according to a White Their push has put Biden service. A bagpiper played in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico,
trees might not arrive in House official who insisted and Vice President Kamala “Going Home,” and flags and moved to Worcester at
time for the peak shopping on anonymity to discuss an Harris, the Democratic pres- around the state were or- a young age, according to
season, imposing costs on ongoing meeting. idential nominee, in a sen- dered lowered to half-staff an obituary on the website
National Tree and other Butler says he's hoping for sitive position: Both have by Gov. Maura Healey. of the Mercadante Funeral
businesses. In a worst-case an agreement or for gov- courted union support and Delgado-Garcia's funeral Home & Chapel in Worces-
scenario, those costs, mul- ernment intervention to halt don't want to be seen as happened against a back- ter.
tiplied across industries, a strike. But the U.S. Maritime pressuring the longshore- drop of calls for accountabil- He earned an undergradu-
could fuel inflation and Alliance, which represents men to reach a settlement. ity that have spread beyond ate degree from Westfield
pressure the U.S. economy. shippers and ports, and Yet if an extended strike his family. The Latino Law En- State University in Massachu-
“Definitely not an ideal situ- the longshoremen’s union were to cause shortages forcement Group of Boston setts before starting his ca-
ation,” Butler said. haven't met since June. of consumer goods or fuel and Lawyers for Civil Rights reer as a victim's advocate
National Tree already has And no talks are scheduled high inflation, it could cost in Boston have both issued in the Worcester district at-
stockpiled or delivered before their contact expires Harris votes in the Novem- public statements calling torney's office, the obituary
most of the roughly 2 million late Monday. ber election.q for transparency about the said. q