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.
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.
