Port workers go on strike in Boston. Here's how it could affect you.
BOSTON - About 300 dockworkers in Boston are now on strike, part of the 25,000 union members who walked off the job from Massachusetts to Texas Tuesday.
A small group formed a picket line outside Conley Terminal, the main cargo port in South Boston, just after 12:01 a.m. when the International Longshoremen's Association's six-year contract with the United States Maritime Alliance ended. The port will remain closed until the strike ends.
"Could be catastrophic for the holidays"
A one-day strike has little to no impact, but eventually the strike will trickle down to small businesses like Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, where owner Julia Hallman knew it was coming, but not soon enough.
"You see a storm in a distance, and you can't really stop it, you're just hoping that maybe it veers and misses you," Hallman said.
Imports are nearly 75% of this unique business, and the strike will impact everything from the wine, jam, and cheese on the shelves, down to paper products and gloves.
"We have a container right now that's halted at the port with almost 9,000 pounds of product," Hallman said.
Right now, it's OK, but Hallman's real concern is for the potential logjam of shipments when the strike ends.
"During COVID, things were delayed two, three, four weeks and that lasted for a year and so it could be really catastrophic for the holidays," Hallman said. "And I think that's what everybody is really hoping is that this can come to a really quick resolution so we can all get back to business."
Union leadership has not indicated how long the strike could go.
How much do dock workers make?
The union is demanding better wages and a stop to automation taking over their jobs.
Dock workers often make six figures and with overtime, that can top $200,000 a year.
But the big concern is automation taking away those good paying, blue collar jobs.
What products are affected by port strike?
Depending on how long the strike goes on, it could impact business owners and how you shop at the store.
At the port of Boston, big container ships bring in furniture, houseware items, large appliances, car parts, specialty foods, alcohol and more.
Store owners told WBZ-TV some distributors have already warned them about incoming price hikes if the strike lasts weeks.
Consumers probably won't notice price hikes or a lack of inventory for at least a few weeks. The problem is that once the strike ends and things bounce back, economists say it will take a handful of days to recover from each day of the strike.
This is the first strike at East and Gulf Coast ports since 1977.