(NewsNation) — A strike shutting down ports from Maine to Texas could put holiday shopping — and the United States economy — at risk.
The International Longshoremen Association’s strike — affecting ports along the East and Gulf coasts between Maine and Texas — comes after stalled negotiations with the U.S. Maritime Alliance. The union wants higher hourly wages and bans on automated cranes, gates and trucks.
It’s the first time the union has been on strike since 1977.
“ILA Longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing,” the union said in a statement.
“It’s disgraceful that most of these foreign-owned shipping companies are engaged in a ‘make and take’ operation: they want to make their billion-dollar profits at United States ports, and off the backs of American ILA longshore workers, and take those earnings out of this country and into the pockets of foreign conglomerates.”
The strike could pack a punch. The Baltimore port alone leads the country in car shipments.
President Joe Biden told reporters Sunday he would not intervene in negotiations. The strike could cost the U.S. economy $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion per day, with some of that recovered over time after normal operations resume, according to the Associated Press.