Thousands of East, Gulf Coast dockworkers hit the picket line as contract deadline passes

Dockworkers from New England to Texas walked off the job just after midnight Tuesday, upending parts of the U.S. supply chain weeks before the election.

Tens of thousands of workers struck after the International Longshoremen's Association and the shipping industry could not reach a new contract after their last six-year deal expired. Their absence means cargo can’t be unloaded at ports all across the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf Coast.

Even a short strike is likely to send shock waves through the economy. A prolonged one is politically perilous for Democrats up and down the ballot, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who may be forced to choose between their labor allies and a fully functioning economy.

“Nothing is going to move without us,” ILA International President Harold Daggett told dockworkers in New Jersey in a video posted by the union on Facebook .

The U.S. Maritime Alliance, the shipping industry coalition also known as USMX, had no immediate comment.

Analysts from JPMorgan have estimated the costs of strike-related closures could climb as high as $5 billion per day. A stoppage could also bring knock-on effects, including for truckers and warehouse workers who could see less work.

The striking workers essentially load and unload the giant containers that go onto ships, trains or commercial trucks, which can contain all manner of goods, from building materials to auto parts . People expecting new cars may not get them, some factories may not have the raw materials they need and some items, such as bananas, may become hard to come by — especially the longer the strike persists.

Vessels used by other industries — for instance, oil tankers and cruise ships — will not be affected by the strike, because they are not loaded or unloaded by ILA members. And ports on the West Coast aren’t part of the contract dispute.

Even the appearance of such a sharp blow to the economy just weeks before the election presents an enormous opening for Republicans to hammer their message that Democrats are worse for Americans’ wallets. It’s happening just as Harris is trying to convince voters that having her in the White House would mean more jobs and more affordable housing, among other promises.

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tried to reassure residents Monday that her state — one of the strike’s biggest targets — has enough essential goods to keep it from suffering the kind of immediate supply chain problems that hit it during the early days of the pandemic.

She said her team is working to make sure the strike doesn’t bleed into people’s lives, and said she doesn’t expect it to affect the election, particularly in the state’s close congressional contests.

“In preparation for this moment, New York has been working around the clock to ensure that our grocery stores and medical facilities have the essential products they need,” Hochul said in a statement shortly after the strike became official. “It's critical for USMX and the ILA to reach a fair agreement soon that respects workers and ensures a flow of commerce through our ports.”

New York has stockpiles of medical supplies, many prescription drugs come by plane, and the U.S. produces lots of its own food. Even much of the food that the U.S. imports comes through land borders with Canada and Mexico that the strike will not affect.

Still, New York and New Jersey are home to the East Coast’s largest port. One hundred thousand cargo containers are sitting at port facilities in the two states, and dozens of cargo ships are preparing to anchor offshore until the strike ends, according to regional port officials.

President Joe Biden could invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to head off a strike, but the White House has repeatedly said he won’t. Using that law, the administration could seek a court order temporarily barring workers from walking off the job.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment early Tuesday.

Daggett has vowed to order a slowdown if dockworkers were blocked from striking, and Democrats are loath to undercut one of unions’ most powerful negotiating tools.

Truck drivers who carry goods in and out of ports could be some of the first workers idled by a port strike.

Sean O’Brien, the head of the Teamsters union, said in a social media post Monday night that “Teamsters do not cross picket lines.”

O’Brien warned Biden that the “U.S. government should stay the f**k out of this fight and allow union workers to withhold their labor for the wages and benefits they have earned.”

“The ocean carriers are on strike against themselves after failing to negotiate a contract that recognizes the value of these workers. Our ILA brothers and sisters play a critical role in keeping the American economy running, and they deserve industry-leading wages and robust job protections for the vital work they perform."

The strike comes after a six-year master contract between the union and the shipping industry expired on Monday. The union has asked for major wage increases and protections against automation. The shipping industry has accused the union of not coming to the table.