Shipping port strikes could send prices up
As of the scheduling of this posting, union workers working at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast have declared the intent to start their strike on October 1, 2024, assuming an agreement is not made by then. Both sides of the dispute are currently at an impasse over port automation and wages. This strike could impact container availability, rail and truck cargo, food supply, and storage. There are people who think that stocking up on items may be in order. The workers involved in this dispute are with the International Longshoremen’s Association consisting of members located at ports on the East Coast and on the Gulf Coast.
From Fox Business:
Unionized dockworkers in the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents 45,000 members at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, may go on strike beginning Oct. 1 if an agreement isn’t reached by the end of Monday.
The two sides to the labor dispute have been at an impasse over issues including wages and automation at ports. A strike would likely have a domino effect on container availability, storage, rail and truck cargo as well as food supply.
“You have the Suez Canal closed down, the Red Sea is closed down. If you have a strike on the East Coast, that’s going to be closed down. Guess what? Prices are going to go to the moon,” Catsimatidis warned.
A third shopper said they “haven’t had any trouble” yet stocking up on essentials, but plan to “keep an eye on what’s going on.”
The fourth shopper FOX Business spoke with said they’ll “probably most likely stock up” to avoid potential inventory shortages like the ones seen during the COVID pandemic, but buy things “day by day.”
“I’ve been so busy I haven’t been [adjusting my shopping habits], but if I hadn’t been busy, I’d probably be shopping in Westchester and bringing the food down here because it’s much cheaper up there,” one of the earlier shoppers said. “The prices are already so high I feel because of the current administration, and I think it’s just going to get worse.”
Additional Reading:
Altus, K. (2024, September 30). US shoppers start to ‘stock up’ on essentials as port strikes pressure prices to go ‘higher than ever’. Fox Business. Link.
Category: Economy
I have an old friend and his son on both sides of this: 1 works for Ports America and the other is an ILA member.
From what can gather from the news the sides aren’t miles apart, so maybe a week long strike? I know people will panic-buy shit paper, but that’s not imported. Food items like bananas come through the ports. Other things like electronics, cars, and almost everything you buy at Wal-Mart are shipped via container ship. The West Coast is open, but expect higher prices if this lasts more than week when you go shopping for Christmas presents.
Sal Mercogliano is the best source on YouTube.
For me it is blueberries which are currently out of season here. They had some locally sourced green house ones at the Publix for $7 a pint. They are beautiful and tasty but at almost $.10 a berry they better be. I do all my Christmas shopping in August so really don’t need anything.
Chew them slowly.
The time to stock up was last week.
So many others have played ball with the administration to not make waves until after the election. Mexico cut emigration, Iran has chilled towards Israel, not even responding to the attack on their soil. They both really hate Trump that much they are willing to wait.
The Dems have been losing labor for decades though with their corporate policies and now the chickens have come home to roost.
Dems never gave a rats ass about labor, other than as a tool in their communist plottings to disrupt the system and allow them to take power.
My union’s newsletter is always doom and gloom in the opening page’s letter from the President. He’s openly Marxist and in full “foaming at the mouth” rabid support of any Democrat.
Every ship I’ve been on — the officers in both departments (separate unions) have been extremely pro-Trump. Even West Coast longshoremen I spoke with in the Port of Oakland were secret Trump supporters…
Unions doing what unions do best – getting over for themselves and fucking everyone else over.
The Democrats and the media (I apologize for the redundancy) will somehow be blaming Trump for this if prices go up before the election.
Turn down a 50% raise AND improved health benefits? Greedy little ducks, aren’t they. Remember when our dock workers were loading ships with stuff leaving here instead of Chyneseum junk coming in? Not to worry…as soon as Kun-Hella is installed as MyDamn Resident, she’ll fix this. Tampon Timmy will have his chynese handlers provide PLA workers to unload the ships using the chynese built cranes and material handling equipment. You’ll still be able to purchase slave made consumer goods at WallyWorld.
I’m sure that Biden and Harris will be as AWOL on this as they have been with the response to Hurricane Helene.