Dock worker strike to have minimal impacts in Central Florida – for now

ORLANDO, Fla. — The decision to strike at midnight at many of the Eastern United States’ biggest ports will not be felt by consumers unless the strike drags on for weeks or months, economists predict.

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The strike – the first of its kind since the 1970′s – was anticipated by retail giants and industry analysts well in advance, allowing the supply chain to brace itself in addition to practices implemented after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Port Canaveral is not included in the strike because it’s non-union, but Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa are. Tampa is Central Florida’s biggest concern because fuel flows from the port to a pipeline in Orange County.

However, Kinder Morgan executives said their operations aren’t being impacted.

Read: Dockworkers strike; ports shut down

“We do not expect any impacts,” a spokeswoman wrote in response to questioning Tuesday.

Retail chains said they already have some consumer goods in their warehouses in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season.

UCF economist Sean Snaith said perishable items – particularly bananas, which are shipped instead of flown – could be the first item to become scarce, but it would take weeks before consumers would notice.

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Port Strike Hundreds of longshoremen strike together outside of the Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Va., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) (Billy Schuerman/AP)

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“The longer the strike lasts, and the more of an impact that we’re going to see over time,” Snaith said, before referencing the shortages seen in the wake of the pandemic. “I don’t think that this is going to be as severe as that, because there were other factors.”

Snaith said the upcoming election in November could play into consumers’ favor, since a crashing economy would be something politicians want to avoid.

“Ending the strike would benefit politicians, so we just get a pleasant side effect from the politicians doing what’s best for them,” he said.

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President Biden said he does not plan to invoke his power to order an 80-day “cooling off” period for the strike, framing the argument as a collective bargaining issue.

The sticking points, according to reports from picketing members, is the threat of automation to many of their jobs and demands for higher pay.

Some politicians have taken to social media to point out longshoremen make well above the industry average and say they’re holding the economy “hostage” and unable to modernize if demands to avoid automation are met.

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