Tri-State area braces for possible dockworkers strike; could impact 14 East and Gulf Coast ports
ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) -- Dockworkers in the Tri-State are bracing for a possible strike.
At midnight Tuesday, some 45,000 dockworkers at 14 ports across the east and Gulf Coast could be on the picket line.
The two sides in the dispute have not met since June, and as of now, no talks are scheduled.
It's feared a walkout could send the nation's supply chain into chaos.
"It's estimated that a strike would cost somewhere around $5 billion a day," said Margaret Kidd, director of supply chain and logistics at the University of Houston.
Negotiations between the Longshoremen's Union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance representing the shippers and the ports are at a standstill.
The ports from Texas to New England are responsible for nearly 35% of all U.S. imports and exports.
According to the National Retail Federation, "A one-day shutdown takes three to five days to recover from. The longer it goes, the worse it gets."
So what do the union members want? Higher wages and protections from automation.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it is monitoring the situation and coordinating with partners across the supply chain for any potential impacts.
"We have to fight for what we rightfully deserve. Let's get a contract. And let's move on with this world," said Harold J. Daggett, ILA president.
"If they have the power to get more money from the steamship line, which they deserve, then more power to them," said Mark Nieves, united Drayage Drivers Association of NY/NJ. "But we also need more money. The changes, the necessary changes to better the industry for tomorrow."
"We even worked with the Teamsters at one point to unionize, but we couldn't do it because of the anti-trust laws," said Edison Villacis, Port Drivers Association.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to speak later Monday on the state's plans to deal with possible disruptions if the strike happens.
President Joe Biden has the power to stop the strike but says he won't do that. Instead, he's urging both sides to negotiate "fairly and quickly."
The Maritime Alliance says it's committed to negotiating, but claims the union is not bargaining in good faith.
(Some information from ABC News)
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