Nearly 50,000 dock workers from Boson to Houston are now on strike. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job one minute after midnight on Tuesday. Their ultimatums include higher pay and the continuation of an existing ban on fully automated equipment.
The strike will cripple the transfer of a wide variety of goods—from bananas to beer to automotive components—at cargo ports along the entire East and Gulf Coasts.
The Anderson Economic Group has estimated that a one-week strike could cost the U.S. economy more than two billion dollars and that, depending on the length of the strike, consumers are likely to see higher prices from retailers nationwide. Meanwhile, the striking port workers will also feel the financial pinch.
The United States Maritime Alliance represents major shipping lines, terminal operators, and port authorities. It says the union won’t negotiate in good faith despite an offer of wage hikes. Some 14 major ports shut down on Tuesday when the strike started, in what was the first such shutdown in almost 50 years.
NTD spoke with Brent Sadler, a maritime affairs expert at The Heritage Foundation, to hear more about the potential impacts of the strike.