Potential Strike Looms for East and Gulf Coast Longshoremen

Dockworkers from Maine to Texas may halt operations on Oct. 1, threatening significant disruptions to U.S. supply chains.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) represents 45,000 dockworkers across 36 ports, with their contract expiring on Sept. 30.
Negotiations between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance stalled in June, with no current talks scheduled.
A strike could last from 24 hours to two weeks, potentially causing weeks of logistical backlogs and billions in economic losses.
Businesses have been preparing by increasing inventory and rerouting shipments to West Coast and Canadian ports.
The U.S. Labor Department has contacted the maritime alliance, and federal intervention remains a possibility to avert the strike.