BOSTON – At least 25,000 longshoremen at 14 ports from Massachusetts to Texas appear ready to leave on strike this week.
Port strike on the East Coast
The dockworkers’ union could resign at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday when their contracts expire, and that would mean a major disruption to the economy. There may be a shortage of medicines, cars, produce and fresh meat.
Negotiations between the union and the shipping sector have been at a standstill since June. Port workers want better wages and less automation.
The Port of Boston would close
Conley Terminal, the main cargo port in South Boston, would close if a strike occurred.
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
There are about 160 longshoremen in Boston and a strike could affect about 12,000 jobs in the area, including truck drivers, delivery drivers and tugboat drivers.
But overall, the impact in Boston and Massachusetts would be “moderate,” according to economist and Boston University professor Jay Zagorsky.
Will anyone notice?
“Massachusetts is no longer one of the largest ports on the East Coast. Instead, we rank 44th in the nation,” he says. told WBZ-TV last week. “So if the strike is relatively short, say a week or two, no one will notice. But if this continues, say Halloween or Thanksgiving, we’ll basically start seeing bare shelves,” Zagorsky said.
“It will impact at a retail level what is on store shelves and what people can buy and consume. And in the past this has proven to be incredibly disruptive to trading behavior in the region.” said Jim Rooney, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
If there is a strike, Massport said any import cargo still at the Conley Terminal at the end of the day Monday will be unavailable “until the strike ends.”
“Any refrigerated cargo remaining in the terminal (imports and exports) will not be checked or serviced while the work stoppage is in effect,” the agency said in a statement.
There hasn’t been a port strike on the East Coast since 1977.
Penny Kmitt
