How a dockworker strike could impact everyday costs, delivery times

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — Forty-five thousand dockworkers are expected to walk off the job at midnight on Tuesday, effectively shutting down 36 ports on the East and Gulf Coasts.

For months, a contract deadline loomed for an agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the US Maritime Alliance, leading to uncertainty about the cost of consumer goods.

The National Retail Federation says ships will drop anchor–imports and exports will stop–stating, “the downstream impacts on businesses, workers, consumers and the economy at large are too large to see a coastwide port strike.”

In an interview with DC News Now in the hours before the contract deadline, Dr. Martin Dresner, professor of supply chain management at the University of Maryland, said, “I think we’re going to be OK in the immediate term. If this lasts a long while, in terms of weeks and months, certainly these companies will run out of stock and consumers may experience shortages.”

Among large retailers, Walmart told DC News Now Monday, “We prepare for unforeseen disruptions in our supply chain and maintain additional sources of supply to ensure we have key products available for our customers when and how they want them.”

Bananas and specialty cheeses are among goods that could be impacted by supply, cost increases and delays. “Some sort of canned goods could come over from Europe or Asia,” Dresner said, adding that, “if you’re waiting for a Mercedes, or a BMW or one of these other products that may be an automobile, that may be imported through the East Coast, you may experience some delays.”

The Port of Baltimore alone processed over 800,000 vehicles last year, according to the state of Maryland.

What about luxury? People can anticipate longer delays since they’re among specialty orders.

Dresner said, “We’re likely to experience shortages rather than huge price increases” because of the pressure from law enforcement agencies to pursue price gouging.

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