Do you celebrate Christmas? Do you buy clothing or other items from out of the country? If you answered yes to either of those questions (which is most of us) then you are at risk of being affected by the labor dispute that shutdown cargo ports from Maine to Texas on Tuesday, October 1st.
More than 45,000 workers at 14 ports along the East Coast walked off the job overnight after discussions between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents shipping lines and port operators, and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), a union that represents dock workers. During this discussion, the two organizations failed to come to an agreement on a new contract.
“USMX brought on this strike when they decided to hold firm to foreign-owned ocean carriers earning billion-dollar profits at United States ports, but not compensate the American ILA longshore workers who perform the labor that brings them their wealth,” ILA President Harold Daggett explained. Within these negotiations, the ILA are looking for a pay increase and insurance against the automation of their industry.
The strike will stop the flow of various goods over the docks along the East and Gulf of Mexico coasts, which includes Boston’s Conley Terminal, where around 160 workers are striking. Through the strike, around 12,000 truck drivers will also be affected, including delivery workers and tugboat operators.
“If the dispute continues on for more than a few weeks, a work stoppage could lead to higher prices and delays in goods reaching homes and businesses,” Retailers Association of Massachusetts President Jon Hurst stated.
If the strike is protracted, Hurst said it will force local businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause multiple goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season, leading to a potential impact of deliveries of anything from toys and artificial Christmas trees to cars, fruit, and coffee.