Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
Just in case getting supplies isn’t expensive enough (or difficult enough in the areas hit by Hurricane Helene), now the dockworkers from Maine to Texas have gone on strike. And whether they win or lose their standoff, it’s the American consumers who will lose the most.
Last night, at midnight, the contract between the ports and nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired. Workers immediately walked off the job. Thirty-six ports are currently affected by the strike.
(If you plan to use Amazon to stock up, please use my affiliate link to get there. It costs you nothing extra but helps us out a lot!)
What do the dockworkers want?
Well, your mileage may vary. Here’s their statement:
In a statement to ABC News early Tuesday, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) confirmed the union’s first coastwide strike in nearly 50 years was underway. The statement said that “tens of thousands of ILA rank-and-file members” started to set up picket lines at shipping ports up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as of 12:01 am.
“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” ILA President Harold Daggett said.
Other information was added.
“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” Daggett said in the statement. “They must now meet our demands for this strike to end.”
The fight against having their jobs taken over by robot dockworkers is understandable. They note that the shipping companies made billions of dollars during the pandemic, and they feel some of that should trickle down.
The union’s opening offer in the talks was for a 77% pay raise over the six-year life of the contract, with president Harold Daggett saying it’s necessary to make up for inflation and years of small raises.
ILA members make a base salary of about $81,000 per year, but some can pull in over $200,000 annually with large amounts of overtime.
The US Maritime Alliance is representing the ports in negotiations.
…Monday evening, the alliance said it had increased its offer to 50% raises over six years, and it pledged to keep limits on automation in place from the old contract.
Nobody seems to know, as of this morning, how far apart the dockworkers and the alliance are.
How will this affect us?
Experts seem to have varying opinions on how Americans will be affected by this. First, it’s pretty clear that the longer this goes on, the fewer supplies will be reaching the shelves in our local stores.
But for general consumer items, a lot of companies stocked up because they knew this was coming. So we may not immediately see shortages of non-perishable goods.
At the same time, in a pandemic lockdown flashback, I still ordered some extra coffee and toilet paper in bulk. You may also want to contact The Wellness Company to get ahold of some antibiotics and essential medications in the event pharmaceuticals are involved.
The shortages we will notice first would be perishable items. There’s a clock on getting those from the cargo ships to the grocery stores and with even the slightest delay, you’ll be hard pressed to find any fruits or vegetables that come in through the eastern ports or the ones in the Gulf of Mexico.
Especially, it appears, bananas:
The ports affected by the strike handle 3.8 million metric tons of bananas each year, or 75% of the nation’s supply, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The shortages will come when other folks realize that their normal choices aren’t available at the grocery store and panic their way to the canned goods aisle. So, if you were planning on doing a stock-up of canned food, I’d suggest you do it now before the non-preppers notice that they can’t easily get fresh fruits and vegetables.
But if the situation continues, that’s when things will start to get hairy.
…If it goes more than a few weeks, a work stoppage would significantly snarl the nation’s supply chain, potentially leading to higher prices and delays in goods reaching households and businesses.
If drawn out, the strike will force businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause some goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season — potentially impacting delivery of anything from toys or artificial Christmas trees to cars, coffee and fruit…
…“If the strikes go ahead, they will cause enormous delays across the supply chain, a ripple effect which will no doubt roll into 2025 and cause chaos across the industry,” noted Jay Dhokia, founder of supply chain management and logistics firm Pro3PL.
J.P. Morgan estimated that a strike that shuts down East and Gulf coast ports could cost the economy $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion per day, with some of that recovered over time after normal operations resume.
And I think we all know where those billions of dollars will come from.
Our pockets.
It’s almost certain that prices will go up.
Food products are especially vulnerable to an uptick in prices, since food could spoil if suppliers sent the products ahead of time to minimize the strike impact, as they have done for some other goods, Adam Kamins, a senior director of economic research at Moody’s Analytics, told ABC News.
Additionally, a significant share of the nation’s imported auto parts pass through the ports impacted by a potential strike, which could cause an increase in vehicle prices if the strike persists.
If you need any repairs on your vehicle, I suggest that you get them done now before parts become scarce.
“President” Biden has said that he will not intervene in the strike, though through the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, he could call a halt to it, or at least delay it for 80 days while the sides negotiated.
What are your thoughts on this?
Will the strike continue for long? Do you think that we’ll see shortages and increased prices again? Do you feel that the White House should intervene?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
Everybody can see the writing on the wall. Inflation over the last couple years has hit the average American hard. Prices went up precipitously, but our wages didn’t. And even though the “Fed” claims that they have brought inflation back down, it doesn’t mean prices have dropped, just that they aren’t rising as fast as they were. We are quickly falling behind, with little hope in the resent situation of ever catching up.
As a result everybody that can, is negotiating for as much as they can now, before it gets worse. Holding a gun to the head of the government and the consumer to get what they feel they deserve. And I’m not saying that they don’t deserve it. I’m just saying that increased wages don’t offset the loss of buying power of our dollar. All this does, if you look at it on a national level, is increase the prices for the end user, the consumer. This leads to more inflation which leads to the need for more wage increases, which leads to more inflation. When will people learn that printing more fiat currency doesn’t solve the problem.
The other thing that these dock workers are fighting against is progress. The automation of a lot of their jobs. It’s unfortunate that many jobs that helped build this country can now be done by robots. Unfortunate, but true. There are many jobs, many careers in this country that have been usurped by new technology. They aren’t the first, and they won’t be the last. In the end technology always wins – you can’t stop progress.
Or in some cases you can’t stop regress. Many of our modern devices have come with a price tag that cannot be rated in dollars and cents.
This is why it’s so important to prep. I’m stocking up on prescription meds for hubby. All he’s thinking of is beer. He started freaking out last night. I am already having a hard time finding fresh fruits since a month ago, and when I do find them , they’ve quadrupled in price. I’ll be going to farmers market on Saturday morning. I just paid off all the credit cards this morning and hid them from hubby. My son cut off a credit card last week after paying it off. My brother is a truck driver, he’s in Florida now with relief supplies and can’t find a load anywhere this morning.
Daisy,
Are you saying that if we use the Amazon link in this story to buy anything on Amazon that you will get an affiliate payout? I’ve always assumed it was only if we buy the item you link to that you are paid. If you get paid on anything, I’ll start going to your link anytime I shop on Amazon. I don’t buy a lot there, but every little bit helps.
That is correct – any time! 🙂
Would it work from Canada??
I now have Daisy’s Amazon link on my browser’s toolbar shortcuts.
I did likewise after her hot-link. Bought 12 bandsaw blades through her for the shop. Enough for six months work. Daisy is top shelf and every bit helps.
Thanks for the update Daisy and also for the tip on TP. Tried ordering some last night but what I wanted was out of stock at COSTCO and Sams and I think some of that was related to where I live in NC. Most churches and such are loading up trailers to carry supplies to Asheville for the flood victims. Just went back to the big box sites after reading your post and now they are out of even more of it. The Amazon price is good. Again, thank you.
Just went to Costco in Ann Arbor MI, and they are completely out of TP. Kirkland brand is made completely stateside, so they should continue to provide it, and they stupidly have not yet imposed purchasing limits. Sams only had big name brand on Tuesday night, and that was diminishing rapidly. My friend who was raised Muslim says to go to the Arab stores, and buy a little toilet pitcher that looks like a plant waterer, because that is what they use to wash their backsides. She laughs when I tell her about the TP shortage, because they know what to do. Here is one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Handheld-Postpartum-Cleansing-Childbirth/dp/B08L9M6FTP/ref=asc_df_B08L9M6FTP?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80539344142743&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584138871546783&psc=1
Daisy, I use a program called “Last Pass” to protect my passwords, and I buy a ton from Amazon (even though they hate conservatives). Just this moment, I have put your affiliate link as my entrypoint to Amazon, as a thank you for all that you do for the prepping community. Now, onto the present article:
I would be bold enough to say that the ILA administration is rife with demonRats and other left-leaning mugwumps. The timing is almost perfect to put the U.S. into early turmoil before the election fiasco gets here. Stocking up now is better than doing without.
Keep your heads on a swivel,
Blessings to you,
OD
Thank you so much!
I’m concerned about the last part of the article being as I work at an auto parts store. I know my DC has parts in stock but how long will that last?
On a YouTube channel, the host knows someone who knows someone who is up there on Walmart corporate. They will be putting out items, like canned goods, a little at a time, so folks can’t buy up alot at once. So, they will be limiting certain items during the strike. Non local fresh fruit will be hit hard. I’m fortunate that I got a delivery of coffee and t.p. in. I buy t.p. a year at a time since the pandemic and my coffee 4 months at a time. I saved up money, due to work o t , and I’ll be doing a huge food haul tomorrow. I do have a backup but still. I learned my lesson since the pandemic and I found Daisy. My work depends on certain supplies to operate. That will be a fingers crossed situation. No supplies, no work for me. I have some money set aside but still.
Ya… $81,000 as a base just ain’t cutting it… we need $140,000. So… We’ll just take this inopportune moment in history of catastrophe and political unrest to go on strike to further devastate an already-faltering American economy in support of democrats so they can leave a collapsed smoldering heap of our economy so Trump can rule over the ashes. Got it….
This strike is so transparent, it’s embarrassing….
Agree
Agree.
On a practical note, in the past, I’ve bought Augason Farms banana chips. They had an oily taste and I hated them. Does anyone know of a good source of non oily tasting banana chips? Thanks.
Would love to know where to find some good banana chips too!
I just bought 2 kinds of banana chips from Amazon and read reviews that seemed good. Unfortunately I haven’t opened them yet to taste test! I made some of my own that were leathery, not crunchy, very disappointing, when bananas were on sale this summer. I made 2 loaves of banana bread Saturday, one more tomorrow, and have a large bunch of green ones I bought Sunday. We eat a banana daily, so does my 87 year old Mom, but I doubt she will eat chips. Maybe!
How about reconstituting the banana chips or buying the dehydrated bananas which would have less or any added sugars. We eat a banana a day too.
I have little success trying to dehydrate bananas as well. I like them quite ripe so when they reach the degree I like, I peel them, wrap the well and then put them in freezer bags and freeze. When I want banana nut bread, a smoothie, banana “ice cream” (smushed in a bowl), etc. I just grab and prepare as I am so inclined.
Valley food
The reason for the oily taste is they have coconut oil added. I typically buy Thrive Life and theirs are good. Only ingredient is bananas and they are freeze dried instead of dehydrated so definitely a different texture. They are a bit pricey but they have monthly sales and I usually stick to that.
I heard this might affect fuel too. Is that true?
Daisy…I order a TON from Amazon! Had no idea I could use your link for everything! That is about to change! Thank you! Love your site!
Daisy, I shop Amazon more than I should, and did use your affiliate links for sales recently. I had no idea I could always use it, and will now do so!
I did the most canning of my life this year, and am so happy to have that now. This year, many are having Ball lid failures, cheaply made nowadays, and I lost 2 quarts of peaches and 2 other jars, things I will need this winter. They sealed, then came unsealed in storage. Quality is awful, I recommend ForJars if anyone cans. (If that isn’t allowed, please delete! I get paid nothing!)
Going to buy at least 2 bushels of apples tomorrow from the Amish with a friend, and will preserve them in a few ways.
Going through my preps for things to send South with a local truck also. Glad to be able to share.
Everyone, please keep praying, we need Him so much. May God bless you all.
The ILA was offered a 50% raise and said not enough???
The Unions thug boss endorsed Harris, he owns a 76′ yacht, a Bentley, makes almost a million annually and his co-defendant in a RICO case was found decomposing in a trunk. Take the offer and fugget about it!
Daisy, You should’ve said something years earlier 😉 on you getting earnings on our Amazon purchases if we use your affiliate on everyday items! I’ve wanted to support you financially when I can but just didn’t know how since I don’t enjoy leisure reading!
I’ll be glad to use this for ya now. Thanks for mentioning.
Agreed!
Judging by the dynamics of past events, in the US and elsewhere with similar context and culture, I´d say this is not yet the strike people should be afraid of. We´re not yet at that point, but it will come.
Look for mass layoffs and after that, growing unemployment, then things will catch fire for real. I´d point to the 1970s and 80s for those wanting a better perspective.
Perhaps you should have a permanent display of your Amazon link? First time I became aware of it.
Hey Daisy… if we are prepping for SHTF how come we both still drink coffee, which has real withdrawal symptoms?
I heard on TV yesterday that these dockworkers are asking for more than Ca dockworkers get (over $300k including bennies). My husband has a PhD and I a masters degree and we don’t make that much COMBINED.
I find it interesting that they are determined to keep us decades behind. China, The Netherlands and others h automated their ports decades ago. Perhaps they should bargain for funding for education to be able to change jobs?
A bigger problem is that many of our ports are owned/controlled by foreign governments and corporations.
Think about automated docks, controlled like video games from workers sitting at a console in another country.
Their government decides that they are mad at the USA and tells their workers to shut down our docks.
I would rather have US workers to deal with, rather than possibly hostile foreign entities.
Check out The Conservative Treehouse for more info on this issue.
I have a friend who works at a fast food joint who saves the food grade pickle buckets for me. I let them sit in the rain for a few days to rid them of the pickle smell, then wash them with a not scratchy scrubber (prevents micro scratches that can hold mold or bacteria) then put my flour, oatmeal, sugar, beans, and rice into them to store for long term. I don’t have mylar bags, but will likely buy some to add longevity to my stored food items. Might be good to have bulk items stored in small, barter sized packets. Also, check out Rite Aid if you have some closing near you, they put everything, INCLUDING BATTERIES on 50% off sale. I stocked up on common sizes of duracell for half off!
I am surprised that the “brotherhood” at Long Beach and LA ports (southern California) are not joining in. I think if they do, the Chinese corporation that now owns the docks will say “Good riddance” and automate.