Trade experts say that a short strike would cause little lasting damage but that a weekslong stoppage could lead to shortages, higher prices and even layoffs.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, longshoremen on the East and Gulf coasts went on strike Tuesday, a move that will cut off most trade through some of the busiest US ports and could send a chill through the economy.
"Nothing's going to move without us -- nothing," said Harold J Daggett, the president of the International Longshoremen's Association union, addressing picketers outside a port terminal in Elizabeth, New Jersey, early Tuesday.
The United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port employers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Businesses now face a period of uncertainty. Trade experts say that a short strike would cause little lasting damage but that a weekslong stoppage could lead to shortages, higher prices and even layoffs.
"When we talk about a two- to three-week strike," said J Bruce Chan, a transportation analyst at Stifel, a Wall Street firm, "that's when the problem starts to get exponentially worse."
https://www.deccanherald.com/world/first-time-in-50-years-us-port-workers-strike-on-east-and-gulf-coasts-3214444