BREAKING: East and Gulf Coast ports shut down as thousands of workers go on strike

BREAKING:

East and Gulf Coast ports have shut down as thousands of International Longshoreman’s Association members have gone on strike.

These strikes come after the ILA announced that at midnight, 11:00 PM Central Time, 45,000 of its members would go on strike after failed negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance over raise wages as well as the automation of cranes and other freight equipment.

The ILA represents 36 ports from Texas to Maine, including Gulfport and Pascagoula.

WXXV News 25’s Marco Bitonel was live right before these strikes took place and had the latest on their status.

It is unclear at this time how long these strikes will last for but it is predicted that they could potentially cause shipping delays for a variety of goods as well as a potential increase to the rise of retail goods.