Workers at the Port of Houston and at 13 other ports from Texas to Maine are hitting the picket line after the union failed to accept the latest contract offer from the United States Maritime Alliance. The Longshoremen's Association, which represents the workers, is pushing for a 77 percent pay raise over the next 6 years and future guarantees about the use of automation on the docks. It's the first strike at the ports since 1977. That strike lasted 45 days.
JPMorgan says the cost to the country if a strike happens will be roughly five-billion-dollars a day. The White House says it will not invoke its legal powers to intervene. Experts say that could stop the flow of goods and household items getting to big retailers including Walmart and Home Depot.
The AP reports close to 50 workers were seen picketing outside the Port of Houston with signs that read “No Work Without a Fair Contract.”