Americans woke up on October 1 with news that a major strike among U.S. Dockworkers could lead to supply and goods shortages.
Many of us are still reeling from the shortages and hoarding that took place during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but this time, it's not toilet paper and hand sanitizer that look to be sparse. Because the strike affects shipping ports, it's mainly imported items that may become hard to come by and are, therefore, worth seeking out sooner rather than later. Chris Tang, a professor at UCLA who is well versed in supply chain management, told that he believes things like since huge numbers of these items are imported from overseas.
Even seafood from Canada (which could conceivably arrive via train) is in jeopardy of shortages since it often needs to be refrigerated and is regularly shipped by boat. Of course, domestic seafood and American beer, wine, and liquor are all options for those who enjoy such things, but the majority of bananas are shipped in from elsewhere. Associate professor of operations management at Southern Illinois University, Gregory DeYong, told that cherries, canned goods, hot peppers, grapes, avocados, and chocolate could also be difficult to find until the strike is resolved.
Why the strike? When labor and pay negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance could not be agreed upon, the strike began, and 45,000 union workers from 36 shipping posts around the country ceased work..
