NY, NJ officials prepare for looming port strike

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Every port from Maine to Texas will shut down at midnight if a deal is not reached between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance.

The ILA said it is fighting for fairer wages for its workers and greater protections against automation and generative AI. This would be the first strike port on the East Coast since 1977.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said during a Monday press conference that the strike is likely to happen.

The strike has the potential to affect everything from medical supplies at hospitals to holiday wish lists. Hochul stressed that officials do not anticipate a shortage of essential goods anytime soon.

“People do not need to rush out to the grocery store and stockpile goods like they did during the pandemic,” said Hochul. “I want to be very clear about that. We do not want to see people reach that level of anxiety because we’re not there.”

Disruptions to some degree are likely.

“Nothing is going to move,” said William Brucher, a labor studies professor at Rutgers University. “If there’s a strike, that stuff is staying on the ships.”

Officials from New York, New Jersey and the Port Authority have been working in tandem to quickly unload ships before midnight. An estimated 100,000 containers will still need to be securely stored during the strike.

Hochul said the state, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, is prepared to open stockpiles if necessary, particularly for health care facilities required to stock 60 days of personal protective equipment.

Manufacturers have also been working to bring in extra product ahead of time. The Toy Association is among several dozen industry groups pressuring Washington to help negotiate a deal.

“This is a critical shipping period for the toy industry,” said Greg Ahearn, the president and CEO of The Toy Association. “We brought initial shipments in to fill shelves for the beginning of the shopping season, but replenishment and continual flow of goods is critically important throughout September and October to make sure that November and December the shelves are full and the hot products are on the shelves ready to go.”