For the first time since 1977, dockworkers at 36 East and Gulf Coast shipping ports are discussing the possibility of a significant strike if a new contract is not hammered out when the present contract ends on Monday night.
The ports potentially affected are shipping gateways for half of all container goods that come into and out of the United States. Some are hoping that Washington steps in before the ramifications of an extended strike negatively impact U.S. shipping.
In anticipation of a strike next week by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA)—the largest union of maritime workers in North America—the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) has filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) asking for immediate injunctive relief….