With the International Longshoremen’s Association’s readiness to strike at its highest in over a decade, the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has called for an urgent resolution to the labor dispute between union workers and their employers at the East and Gulf Coast ports.
In a news release published Wednesday by TIA, the organization for third-party logistics professionals stated that the looming threat of a strike by ILA members could disrupt the critical holiday shopping season in the U.S.
“A strike could have severe consequences on our nation’s supply chain, impacting businesses from retail to manufacturing at a time when holiday shipments are peaking,” said TIA CEO Anne Reinke in the release. “With 43% of U.S. imports moving through these ports, we are already seeing early disruptions in freight movement, and our members are preparing for potential bottlenecks. However, the longer this uncertainty continues, the more likely we’ll see cascading delays.”
The release states that TIA is also urging the Biden administration to closely monitor the situation and stand ready to intervene if necessary to protect the integrity of the U.S. supply chain. The White House has not yet made a statement addressing the labor dispute.