Coastwide Port Strike Could Impact Retailers’ Merchandising Plans

Fifteen container ports along the East and Gulf Coasts — stretching from Maine to Texas — will immediately shut down if an agreement isn't made between the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents dockworkers, and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents terminal managers. The two sides have been negotiating a new labor contract for months, with the assistance of federal mediators, but their talks recently broke down, signaling that a coastwide supply chain disruption is imminent. The last time these ports experienced a strike was 1977.