IN THE NEWS: East Coast port strike imminent as longshoremen talks show no progress

Washington Post
September 30, 2024
Ian Duncan, David J. Lynch, Jaclyn Peiser and Rachel Lerman

FROM THE ARTICLE: Ports from New England to Texas are on the brink of shutting down as longshoremen prepare to go on strike over demands for higher pay and job protections early Tuesday, a work stoppage that will bring trade to a halt along the coast and send ripples through the broader economy.

A prolonged strike, anticipated at three dozen ports, could lead to shortages in retail stores and price increases, and even a short one would snarl the supply chains that link the United States to the rest of the world. With no signs of progress between the International Longshoremen’s Association and an alliance representing ports and shippers, businesses have been preparing for months in case of a strike. But analysts say the economic impact of a shutdown will be impossible to avoid.
....
Paul Brashier, Global Supply Chain Vice President at ITS Logistics, said this strike has the potential to be more far-reaching than disruptions during separate West Coast labor negotiations last year. In that case, fewer ports were involved and supply chains had already shifted away from the coast, in some cases, during the pandemic.

“It’s touching everything from consumer goods to durable goods to infrastructure,” Brashier said. “There’s no industry really that’ll be spared.”

He compared it to ports preparing for an incoming hurricane — workers are pulling as much freight off the docks as they can to prepare for a backlog that comes after the shutdown ends.

“Things won’t spiral out of control immediately,” Brashier said. “The pain is felt after you open back up and have all this pent-up demand.”

Read the full article.