Live Updates: Longshoremen's strike begins on the East and Gulf Coasts

Longshoremen sing as they circle the entrance to the Bayport Terminal on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Houston.

Nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) went on strike Tuesday against ports on the country's East and Gulf coasts, choking the flow of many of the country's imports and exports. This could be America's most devastating work stoppage in decades.

The strike, confirmed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Port of Virginia, began at midnight. There appears to be a large gap between the union's demands and the offer from the United States Maritime Alliance, which uses the acronym USMX. The maritime alliance represents the major shipping companies, all of which are foreign-owned; as well as terminal operators and port authorities.

The strike will halt the flow of a variety of goods through the docks of nearly every freight port from Maine to Texas. This includes everything from bananas to European beer, wine, and spirits to furniture, clothing, household goods, and European automobiles, as well as parts needed to run U.S. factories and the work of American workers in those factories. It could also prevent U.S. exports from flowing through those ports now, hurting the sales of American companies.

Depending on the duration of the strike, there could be shortages of consumer and industrial goods, which could then lead to price increases. It could also represent a setback for the economy, which is showing signs of recovery from pandemic-related supply chain disruptions that have led to a rise in inflation.

While the union says about 50,000 members are covered by the contract, USMX estimates the number of port jobs at closer to 25,000, with not enough jobs for all of the union's workers to work every day.

The ports involved include the Port of New York and New Jersey, the third largest port in the country by cargo volume handled. This also includes ports with other specialties.