(VitalNews.org) – U.S. ports from Maine to Texas could shut down due to a dockworkers strike of a union representing over forty-five thousand workers.
The lengthy potential shutdown could result in higher prices for goods as well as shortages ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Mark Baxa, president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, said, “First and foremost, we can expect delays to market. And those delays depend on really what the commodities are and priorities at the ports and how quickly things move.”
The International Longshoremen’s Association is looking for higher wages and a total ban on the automation of gates, cranes, and container-moving trucks that are used in over thirty U.S. ports.
The contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance is set to expire soon. The two sides haven’t held any negotiations since June and a strike by these dockworkers would be the first for the union since the seventies.
The ports that would be affected in the strike would include Baltimore and Brunswick, Georgia; Philadelphia; and New Orleans. Other ports affected could include ones in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Alabama.
The only way that the federal government would be able to intervene is if the strike became a danger to the United States economic health under the Taft-Hartley Act. In that case, Joe Biden would be able to seek a court order for an eighty day cool off period, which would suspend the strike during that time.
However, Joe Biden has said that he would not intervene in the strike, saying, “Because it’s collective bargaining, I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley.”
This potential strike could last for months if a resolution is not agreed on, and this could potentially cause a shortage on some consumer goods. Experts have said that if a resolution is found within weeks, consumers would most likely not see any change in consumer goods or pricing.
Some retailers are working on plans in case a strike does happen, ordering early and keeping goods stocked in their warehouse to avoid a potential delay in orders being shipped.
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