The International Longshoremen's Association, ILA, represents over 45,000 thousand dockworkers working on the East and Gulf Coast ports.
For the first time since 1977, they are on strike, citing concerns over pay and automation with no deal reached with the United States Maritime Alliance, USMX.
Dr. Brent Moritz, associate professor of supply chain management at Penn State University, explained the effects that this will have on everyday Americans will be determined by the duration of the strike.
If it only lasts few days, the average person will see little to no disruptions, but if it lasts weeks or even months then consumers may start to feel it.
"About 75% of the bananas come to the port of Wilmington and that port is known for importing a lot of fresh fruit, bananas, cherries, grapes, all from Central and South America for example, and those get distributed to our grocery stores, but you cannot do a big inventory of fresh fruits, those have to move through through the supply chains," Moritz said.
Moritz said the strike may have political implications.
"President Biden could invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to, according to the act, force workers to go back to work, at this point he has said he is unwilling to do that, so certainly there would be a political dimension to that, so that may not be something that the president would be willing to do, however, if the strike lasts multiple weeks there is going to be pressure on both sides to come to some level of an agreement," Moritz said.