Possible dock workers strike looms as talks go on
ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) -- A strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is on the table - and with a deadline of October 1, there is no word on exactly how close or how far apart both sides are.
The potential economic implications of a strike along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast are massive as at least 50,000 dockworkers threaten to walk off the job just after midnight on Tuesday.
The ILA claims wages have remained flat while the profits of carriers have skyrocketed. The union is demanding higher hourly wages over the course of a new contract - along with a ban on automated cranes, gates and trucks.
"We have to fight for what we rightfully deserve - let's get a contract, and let's move on with the world," said ILA President Harold J. Daggett.
On the other side the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which says it is committed to negotiating, claims the union is not bargaining in good faith.
If both sides remain deadlocked, operations could grind to a halt at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, and several more of the nation's highest-grossing ports.
Any resulting supply chain disruptions could wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.
The East Coast and Gulf Coast ports account for more than half of U.S. container imports. Should a disruption last weeks, there will be major supply chain challenges, driving up prices for things like produce, seafood, pharmaceuticals, electronics and cars.
"It's estimated that a strike would cost somewhere around $5 billion a day. That would be the economic impact, So it's substantive, and it's in everyone's best interest to get to the table, and you know, come to the middle," said University of Houston Supply Chain and Logistics Technology Program Director Margarett Kidd.
It is important to note that a strike could also impact Puerto Rico. That is because 85 percent of the island's food supply comes from the mainland United States. 90 percent of those shipments come through ILA-staffed ports.
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