A possible longshoremen’s strike that could cripple the Port of New York and New Jersey and other ports on the Gulf and East Coasts is looming, threatening to idle countless workers and drive up the consumer costs as the holiday season approaches.
Contract talks broke down last Wednesday between the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the shipping industry, and the International Longshoremen’s Association, whose 15,000 members work in deep sea ports from Halifax, Nova Scotia to New Orleans, La., including nearly more than 3,000 ILA workers at terminals in Newark, Elizabeth, Staten Island and Brooklyn.