The largest union representing port workers in the United States said an anticipated port strike will begin on Tuesday as negotiations have reportedly stalled.
The port strike will be on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S. and includes ports from Maine to Texas.
There were no negotiations planned for either Sunday or before the midnight deadline on Tuesday between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents employers of the East Coast and Gulf Coast longshore industry, according to Reuters.
“United States Maritime Alliance … refuses to address a half-century of wage subjugation,” the union said in a statement.
President Joe Biden said on Sunday he would not intervene to prevent the strike, adding that he doesn’t believe in the Taft-Hartley Act, which allows presidents to intervene in a labor dispute if it threatens national security.
“It’s collective bargaining. I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley,” he said.
Biden administration officials signaled they would not intervene in mid-September, when the union was warning that “time was running out” to reach an agreement.
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The dispute between the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance is over pay raises that the union wants and assurances that automated systems will not be used to replace workers. The strike could result in shortages of chocolate, alcohol, some fruits, and cars.
The last strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association was in 1977.
