US East Coast Dockworkers Strike, Halting Half the Nation’s Ocean Shipping
October 1, 2024 | 1 min to read
Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast initiated a strike on October 1, marking their first major stoppage in nearly 50 years, due to a breakdown in negotiations over wages. This action disrupted shipping from Maine to Texas, affecting critical supplies like food and automobiles. The strike, involving the International Longshoremen's Association and U.S. Maritime Alliance, is expected to cost the economy billions daily, threaten jobs, and potentially increase inflation.
NEW YORK, Oct 1 – Dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast began a strike early on Tuesday, their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting the flow of about half the nation’s ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.
The strike blocks everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, in a disruption analysts warned will cost the economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs, and potentially stoke inflation.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union representing 45,000 port workers had been negotiating with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group for a new six-year contract ahead of a midnight Sept. 30 deadline.
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