Major Longshoremen Strike Hits East Coast Ports

Thousands of dock workers at ports along the East and Gulf coasts went on strike early Tuesday morning amid a contract dispute, halting the flow of goods with a potentially costly work stoppage.

Their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, failed to reach a new six-year agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance, the group representing employers at ports from Maine to Texas. Workers walked off the job just as their previous contract expired.

It’s unclear how long the strike will last and how expensive it will be, but a prolonged shutdown could deal a significant blow to the economy since the workers who handle shipping containers control major commercial choke points.

The showdown also presents a political problem for President Joe Biden, who has the power to suspend the strike. Doing so would take away workers’ leverage and could hurt the union-friendly president’s relationship with organized labor.

Workers formed picket lines at major ports early Tuesday, holding signs that said “Profit over people is unacceptable” and “Fight automation, save jobs.”

Addressing workers at a port terminal in Elizabeth, N.J., Harold J. Daggett, the union’s president, said after the strike started that it would go down in history as a righteous fight against greedy corporations.

“These companies… they don’t give a fuck about us,” Daggett said in a union video posted to Facebook. “Well, we’re gonna show them they’re gonna have to give a fuck about us. Because nothing’s gonna move without us.”

The Maritime Alliance did not comment immediately on the strike, but said earlier in the day Monday that the two sides had traded counter offers and it was “hopeful” they could reach an agreement soon.

The ILA has been pushing