‘Very concerned’: Looming dockworkers strike could have ripple effect on Mass. economy

Thirty-six ports from Maine to Texas could shut down operations if thousands of dockworkers go on strike Tuesday.

“It has me very concerned if this does last for, say, multiple weeks — that would be a really significant impact on the economy right when we’re looking a little fragile,” said Josh Stillwagon, Associate Professor and Chair of Economics at Babson College.

The International Longshoremen’s Association says they’ll walk off the job at midnight if they can’t reach a deal on their contracts with the United States Maritime Alliance.

“If we don’t have ports on the Eastern seaboard here, there’s going to be fewer goods that we’re able to get in, I mean there’s going to be a lot of goods just sort of sitting at the ports, and it will in some ways look like what happened when there was a lot of port congestion right after COVID,” said Stillwagon.

He says a strike of this magnitude would be a huge hit to the economy, forcing prices to go up for common imports like fruits, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol, among so many other products shipped to the U.S.

“So if you think about some of the major industries in Massachusetts, say chemical manufacturing or electronics manufacturing, those are relying on parts from abroad, auto parts are a big import for Massachusetts, meats,” said Stillwagon.

In Boston, Conley Terminal would be one of those ports to shut down from a strike.

Massport says cargo could pile up there with no workers available to distribute shipments that come in.

Stillwagon says this may not only cause a shortage of products on the shelves, but he also fears this strike could impact interest rates.

“Something like this, if it really does disrupt the inflation numbers, it could cause a fed to hesitate and you know we could end up tipping into a recession,” said Stillwagon.

The last time this union went on strike was in 1977.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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