American consumers may soon have to do without some popular fruits, including bananas, when grocery shopping as fruit stores could be empty and prices could skyrocket if 45,000 dock workers who have threatened to strike walk off the job.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is negotiating on behalf of 45,000 dockworkers employed at three dozen U.S. ports, which collectively handle nearly half of the nation’s maritime imports.
The group said its members were prepared to stop working if they did not receive a new contract by October 1.
A potential strike could cause a gridlock at major ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, ultimately resulting in short supplies of popular fruits, plywood and other products. According to the Daily Mail.
Americans eat more bananas per capita than any other fresh fruit.
About two-thirds of the bananas in America are unloaded at these ports.
Port Wilmington in Delaware, a major distribution port for Dole Fresh Fruit Company and Chiquita Fresh North America, is the top location in the US for unloading bananas and other fruit, including grapefruits from Chile, clementines from Morocco, pears from Argentina and kiwis from New Zealand.
If fruit is stored in the warehouse for too long it will spoil, or it will become more expensive because of the delays and additional refrigeration requirements.
“Any fruit that arrives after Oct. 1 will be thrown in the trash,” said fruit importer Peter Koepke Sr. told the Orange County Register“And all the people who invested in that business will lose a fortune.”
According to the outlet, industry experts have warned that a week-long work shutdown could cost the economy about $7.5 billion.
The ILA's demands include an 80% wage increase over six years, and claims that workers should get a share in the profits that foreign-owned container carriers made during the pandemic.
The group is also seeking more restrictive language on automation, and argues that some companies are using the technology in violation of the current agreement.
