Alarmed Virginia residents rushed to the nearest grocery stores to buy toilet paper rolls in bulk.
In a disturbing flashback to the Covid-19 pandemic, I amAges and videos show dozens of worried locals stocking up on household essentials as dock workers across the country go on strike.
Earlier this week, the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents approximately 45,000 port workers, announced that they were protesting against the automation of container doors, cranes and trucks.
Shipments of goods ranging from food to cars have been blocked through dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, which analysts warn will cost the economy billions of dollars a day.
Images and videos have emerged of dozens of worried people queuing with carts full of rolls as dock workers across the country go on strike.
Eric Clark, portfolio manager at Accuvest Global Advisors, said USA TODAY: ‘Any strike that lasts more than a week could cause shortages of holiday products.
“We could get a similar or worse rate of inflation for six months than the peak inflation levels of a year ago.”
The strike, which has just entered its second day, has caused several cautious Americans to worry about access to necessities.
As a result, entire sections of toilet paper disappeared from store shelves within hours.
“We’re looking to buy a car and now I’m wondering, are prices going to be higher now that inventory is going to be low? Should we wait?” added Deborah Franklin, a Hampton Roads resident.
The strike, which has just entered its second day, has caused many Americans to worry that they will not be able to access necessities
As a result, entire rows of toilet paper and towels were completely removed over the course of a few hours.
But many experts have confirmed that the strike will have no impact on the supply of products necessary for daily life.
More than 90 percent of the country’s toilet paper consumption is produced in domestic factories rather than imported.
The rest comes from neighboring Canada and Mexico, more commonly by rail or truck than by ship.
Instead of toilet paper, experts predict that edible products, such as bananas and seafood, along with alcohol imported from Europe, South America or the Caribbean, may be hardest hit by these strikes.
Warnings have also emerged that, rather than large convenience chains like Walmart and Costco, small businesses will be hit hardest in the coming weeks.
“We’re looking to buy a car and now I’m wondering, are prices going to be higher now that inventory is going to be low? Are we going to wait?” said Deborah Franklin, a Hampton Roads resident.
Longshoremen bow in prayer during a strike at the Bayport container terminal
Cranes that normally run day and night are shut down during a strike by ILA members at the Bayport container terminal
This is not the first time dockworkers have resisted automation in their industry.
The growth of automation and technological advances have created tension between labor and management since the Industrial Revolution, when machines began making goods that were previously made by hand.
But in 1960, when West Coast ports introduced machinery to move cargo that had previously been moved by hand, the union representing longshoremen negotiated protections for workers, including guarantees that the current workforce would not be laid off, according to the International Union of Stevedores and Warehouses.