Where are dockworkers striking? Mapping the major East Coast, Gulf ports
Update: US port workers and operators reach a deal to end East Coast strike immediately on Oct. 3. Read more.
More than 45,000 dockworkers went on strike over a pay dispute at midnight Tuesday and shut down 36 coastal ports from Maine to Texas, a stoppage that will affect about half of U.S. shipping – and what you’ll be able to buy.
An extended strike blocking imports and exports could cost the U.S. economy $5 billion a day, according to an analysis by JPMorgan. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable.
Learn more: Strike sparks inflation fears.
The dispute is between two major players in U.S. shipping, the International Longshoremen’s Association, a union that represents dockworkers, and the United States Maritime Alliance, an association of shipping companies, port terminal operators and port authorities.
The strike at Eastern and Gulf ports is the first since 1977, when ILA dockworkers walked off the job for 60 days.
What US ports are closed?
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How will the strike affect the economy?
The ports handle about half of U.S. ocean imports, Reuters reported. The strike could limit availability of a wide range of goods – food, clothing, personal items, machinery, toys, cars – any products brought in by container ships.
It also could drive up the cost of shipping, which would be passed on to consumers.
A prolonged strike could create weekslong backlogs at ports, Reuters said.
For each day of the strike, it takes about three to five days to clear the backlog and resume normal operations, said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the Nation Retail Federation, Paste BN reported.
The JPMorgan report estimates a 6:1 ratio in dealing with shipping delays caused by the strike, or about six days to clear the backlog created by a single day of delayed shipping.
Why are dockworkers striking?
The union is asking for wage increases of 77% over six years as a commitment to continue negotiations with the maritime alliance, The Wall Street Journal reported. The alliance had offered an increase of 50% over six years.
The union also wants a ban on automated cranes, gates and trucks at ports, CBS News reported.
Contributing: Medora Lee
Source: Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters