USA Today: Negotiators Ended a Port Strike to Save Christmas. Can They Stop a Strike Again Next Week?

An East and Gulf coast port strike that could snarl supply chains, create shortages and raise prices on hundreds of goods is back in view as port operators and dockworkers resume contract negotiations this week.

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMA), which represents employers at the East and Gulf coast ports, met on Tuesday with leaders of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) to hammer out a deal. It’s the first time the two sides have met since talks broke down in mid-November.

If the two sides can’t agree to a deal by Jan. 15, more than 45,000 port workers from Maine to Texas could walk the picket line, which would wreak havoc on the economy and fan inflation, experts said.

Businesses that sell products to international markets would suffer, experts said. For example, agricultural exporters of soybeans and poultry won’t be able to send their goods overseas and could end up losing market share, or worse, lose money because their goods are perishable, they said. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that $1.4 billion a week in agricultural trade is at risk if there is a strike or slowdown.

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