close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

A possible port strike in Philadelphia and the rest of the United States is on the horizon
news

A possible port strike in Philadelphia and the rest of the United States is on the horizon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The clock is ticking on a possible strikes at ports across the countryalso in Philadelphia.

The union representing 45,000 longshoremen from Texas to Maine could go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The possible strike could halt operations at the Port of Philadelphia.

Officials are rushing to unload ships at the Port of Philadelphia as a possible strike looms on the horizon. CBS News Philadelphia saw at least 100 trucks dropping off pineapples, bananas and vegetables in 10 minutes.

“What you saw there on Packer Avenue is a very carefully orchestrated, sometimes it doesn’t seem like… it’s everyone doing the job as it evolves,” said Leo Holt, the president of Holt Logistics.

The Longshoremen’s work could come to a standstill in Philly and at ports on the East Coast if an agreement 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 an ever-changing puzzle.

Experts say if a strike does happen, additional supply chains would have helped take the pressure off the ports.

“They may not see as much of an impact unless it lasts several weeks or a month, because a lot of supply chains were planning for it and were essentially sourcing items from overseas,” says Dr. Subodha Kumar, professor of statistics, operations and data science. at Temple University.

Hopkins Seafood said plans for seafood orders changed when word of a strike surfaced.

“We kind of pulled back when we heard the ports were going on strike,” said Andy Siegel of Hopkins Seafood. “We’ve tried to get stuff in before.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was asked Monday about the possible strike and indicated both sides were confident in working toward a deal.

“People stay at the table. Both sides keep talking and we can’t stick to an artificial deadline,” Shapiro said.

Holt’s family worked at the maritime terminal for 98 years. Any work stoppage would mean a traffic jam of fruit and vegetables.

“It’s a big bottleneck,” Holt said. “Every day will be five to six days of discharge in terms of deconsolidating what is happening.”