On March 26, 2024, a crane was parked above a container at the Port of Newark.
Spencer Pratt | Getty Images
Strikes at ports on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico will begin on Tuesday, the International Longshoremen's Union said on Sunday, signaling action that could cause delays and disrupt supply chains.
“The American Maritime Alliance … refuses to address half a century of wage suppression,” the union said in a statement. The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) represents employers in the terminal industry along the Eastern and Gulf Coast.
If union members strike at ports from Maine to Texas, it would be the first time the ILA has struck along the coast since 1977.
It was unclear whether any negotiations were ongoing or planned before Monday's midnight deadline.
Earlier, President Joe Biden said he did not plan to intervene to prevent a strike if dockworkers failed to secure new contracts by an Oct. 1 deadline.
“This is collective bargaining. I don't believe in Taft-Hartley,” he told reporters.
The president can impose an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act to intervene in labor disputes that threaten national security.