A strike by port workers on the East Coast and Gulf Coast in the United States on Tuesday disrupted about half of the country’s shipping traffic, after negotiations for a new labor contract collapsed due to a dispute over wages.
The strike will disrupt the arrival of goods ranging from food to car shipments through dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, which analysts warn will cost the economy billions of dollars daily, threaten jobs and exacerbate inflation.
The International Port Workers Union, which represents 45,000 port workers, was negotiating with the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents employers, regarding a new contract that would continue for 6 years before the deadline set for that expired at midnight yesterday, September 30.
Start the strike
The dockworkers union said in statements issued on Sunday and Monday that the strike will go ahead starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on Tuesday.
The strike raises concerns for companies in various sectors of the economy, as they depend on sea shipping to export their goods or secure necessary imports.
This strike is the first since 1977, when the strike lasted 44 days, and includes tens of thousands of union members working in container and vehicle loading stations in the ports spread along the coasts between Maine (northeast of the country) and Texas (south) on the Gulf of Mexico, passing through Florida (south). east).
“The strike will cause major disruption to the US and global economies,” said Brent Moritz, a professor at Pennsylvania State University who specializes in supply chain management.
According to the specialized Lloyd’s List website, these ports receive more than half of goods imports by volume.
Oxford Economics estimates that each week of strikes would reduce US GDP by $4.5 to $7.5 billion.
The strike comes at a sensitive time, just 5 weeks before the highly contested US presidential elections.
