How Hurricane Helene victims could be impacted by east coast port strike
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear analyzes the short and long-term macroeconomic impacts as dockworker strikes could disrupt major shipping ports on the East Coast.
The looming massive port strike expected to start at midnight Tuesday could have severe consequences on delivering emergency assistance to Hurricane Helene victims.
«We've got southeast United States, half of North Carolina, parts of Georgia, southern Virginia that are under water or under mud digging out,» American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear told FOX Business. «These people need help. And now we're going to shut down 36 ports, all the commerce going in and out of this eastern half of the country, 46% of all agriculture is exported out of our east coast ports. This is not the time for a strike. This administration needs to get these parties to the table and get a deal.»
Spear, whose organization is moving over 72% of the nation's freight by ton, slammed President Biden for saying he wouldn't intervene to prevent the strike, saying that collective bargaining hasn't happened since June. The International Longshoremen’s Association, the union that represents U.S. dockworkers, warned that 45,000 members could walk off their jobs at midnight, a massive work stop that could essentially shut down about 36 ports on the East and Gulf coasts that handle about half of the goods shipped into and out of the country.
HURRICANE HELENE DEVASTATION COULD COST UP TO $34B, MOODY'S SAYS
Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on Sept. 28, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The union has ripped the United States Maritime Alliance for not coming
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