BALTIMORE, Md. (DC News Now) – Thousands of dockworkers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts went on strike Tuesday morning. The strike could have a huge impact on the country’s supply chain if it lasts for several weeks.
Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have been protesting in front of the Port of Baltimore since the strike began. They’ve been chanting over bullhorns and carrying signs with different messages on them.
ILA workers are refusing to work until they receive more pay and a total ban on automation.
“We have to look out for our health care. It is a lot to those automation things,” Rodrick Riddick, a worker at Virginia International Port, said.
The ILA released a statement saying, “ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing.”
In Baltimore, hundreds of ILA members gathered at the entrance of the Dundalk Marine Terminal, chanting and holding signs that read, “No work without a fair contract,” “Profit over people is unacceptable,” and “Machines don’t feed families.”
A number of people are concerned what the strike could do to the price of everyday items if a new contract doesn’t fall into place soon.
“They’re going to go up,” Tom Gregory, who lives in Baltimore, said. “They’ve been going up. Shelves are going to be bare. I don’t see a full-blown panic, but people do get scared and will start to hoard.”
Experts said the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance were in negotiations on Monday, however, as of Tuesday, they haven’t come to an agreement.
