Possible port strike in Philadelphia and along East Coasts looms
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The clock is ticking on a possible strike at ports all along the eastern United States, including in Philadelphia.
The union representing 45,000 dockworkers from Texas to Maine could go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The potential strike could cease operations at the Port of Philadelphia.
Officials are rushing to offload ships at the Port of Philadelphia as a possible strike looms on the horizon. CBS News Philadelphia saw at least 100 trucks in 10 minutes carting away pineapples, bananas and vegetables.
"What you saw there at Packer Avenue is a very carefully orchestrated, sometimes doesn't seem it … it's everybody getting the job done as it moves through," Leo Holt, the president of Holt Logistics, said.
Work by the Longshoremen could seize up in Philly and at ports up and down the East Coast if a deal isn't reached by midnight.
The view from the Walt Whitman Bridge showed a buzzing maze of containers and workers moving the many pieces of a constantly changing puzzle.
Experts said if there is a strike, additional supply chains have helped displace pressure from the ports.
"They may not see that much impact unless it goes for several weeks or a month because many supply chains were planning for it and basically got items from overseas," said Dr. Subodha Kumar, who is a professor of statistics, operations and data science at Temple University.
Hopkins Seafood said plans changed for seafood orders when word of a strike surfaced.
"We sort of pulled back when we heard the ports may go on strike," Andy Siegel, of Hopkins Seafood, said. "We tried to get stuff in earlier."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was asked about the potential strike Monday and he signaled confidence both sides were working toward a deal.
"Folks stay at the table. Both sides continue to talk and that we not be held to an artificial deadline," Shapiro said.
Holt's family has worked the marine terminal for 98 years. Any work stoppage would spell a traffic jam of fruits and vegetables.
"It's a large bottleneck," Holt said. "Each day will be five to six days of unstuffing in terms of the deconsolidation of what happens."