Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasized the Biden administration’s focus on a potential East Coast port strike, urging all parties to remain at the bargaining table to resolve their differences. He noted that while the strike’s impact on exports is around $90 million a day, the import side—particularly value-added food products from Europe—is likely affected even more, potentially double that amount.
Vilsack highlighted the differences between the East and West Coast ports, noting that the latter, where dockworkers recently ratified a six-year contract, handle significant export activity to Asia. As tens of thousands of workers threatened to strike if a new deal isn’t reached by midnight on September 30, this situation marks the first East Coast dock strike since 1977, prompting concerns about trade disruptions and the need for strategic planning.
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