SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Inland Port Authority is monitoring the current strike involving 45,000 dockworkers at dozens of ports around the U.S. that began Tuesday and could cripple the nation's economy should it continue long-term.
It's the first strike by dockworkers in nearly 50 years.
“I think a lot of us saw this coming for sure, and that includes the shippers," said Ben Hart, the executive director of the Port Authority. "We’re already seeing increased volume coming through west coast ports. Those ports are already getting closer to capacity to the point where they’re looking at kind of pandemic levels in terms of cargo coming through."
Although the strike is little more than a day old, many are concerned about how it will affect Utah and when, especially in regard to the delivery of goods such as groceries and other items.
“While it’s too early to gauge the full extent of the disruption, we are staying informed and will provide updates as needed," Hart said.
According to the Port Authority, 80 percent of Utah's imports come from West Coast ports, while the remainder comes from the East and Gulf Coast Ports.
A total of 36 ports nationwide have been affected.
“We are monitoring the situation closely to understand any potential impacts on Utah’s supply chains,” said Hart.
The International Longshoremen’s Association is seeking higher wages, up to 77 percent over what its members currently earn, as well as a ban on automated machinery used to load or unload freight.
Seeing the possibility of a strike ahead, many retailers stocked up goods such as holiday gift items. However, if the work stoppage lasts more than a few weeks, it could lead to higher prices and delays on a wide variety of items.
“Hopefully we can get through it quickly and be back to a sense of where we were heading to normalize our economy, because we desperately need that,” Hart said.
