A lengthy shutdown could raise prices on goods around the country and potentially cause shortages and price increases at retailers.
By Mae Anderson and Anne D'Innocenzio, Associated PressFILE - Ship to shore cranes work the container ship CMA CGM Laperouse at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga.
“First and foremost, we can expect delays to market. And those delays depend on really what the commodities are and priorities at the ports and how quickly things move,” said Mark Baxa, president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.The International Longshoremen’s Association is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks that are used in the loading or unloading of freight at 36 U.S. ports.
While any port can handle any type of goods, some ports are specialized to handle goods for a particular industry. The ports that would be affected by the shutdown include Baltimore and Brunswick, Georgia, the top two busiest auto ports; Philadelphia, which gives priority to fruits and vegetables; and New Orleans, which handles coffee, mainly from South America and Southeast Asia, various chemicals from Mexico and North Europe, and wood products such as plywood from Asia and South America.
“The best approach for Patina has been to secure orders early and have the goods in our warehouse and back rooms to ensure we are in stock on key goods,” he said. “This move provides us with an edge — having backup partners in place means we can reroute shipments efficiently if the strike hits hard,” he said.Jonathan Gold, vice president of the supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, said the possible strike comes as the supply network continues to face challenges from ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping that have essentially shut down the use of the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
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