by Megan Leonhardt
Barron’s
U.S. dock workers began a strike Tuesday at ports on the East and Gulf coasts. But a short strike would be unlikely to stoke inflation in consumer goods.
The United States Maritime Alliance, the alliance of port associations, container carriers, and employers, has failed so far to negotiate a new master contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) that represents 85,000 longshore workers.
The current contract expired at midnight on Sept. 30. Thereafter, the ILA plans to strike at the 36 locations at 14 port authorities along the East Coast and Gulf Coast that employ the union’s workers.