Thousands of dockworkers at key ports along the East and Gulf coasts are preparing to strike early next week, potentially shutting down major trade hubs that handle roughly half of the container goods moving in and out of the U.S. Talks between the dockworkers’ union and a shipping industry group representing terminal operators and ocean carriers have been at a standstill for months, with both sides releasing conflicting statements this week about their readiness to negotiate.

According to CBS News, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, seeking “immediate injunctive relief” to compel the union to return to the bargaining table, the alliance announced on Thursday. The NLRB confirmed receipt of the complaint, which is currently being processed by its regional office in Newark, New Jersey. The charge will be posted on the agency’s website in the coming days, after which an investigation will be initiated.

Top Biden administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, intervened with USMX members on Friday, pressing them to negotiate before the contract expires. The last-minute scramble has spotlighted the administration’s poor handling of the situation. Experts now caution that a shutdown could drastically disrupt the flow of goods and escalate shipping costs. Any increase in costs is likely to be passed on to consumers, potentially derailing the normalization of U.S. inflation and complicating the Federal Reserve’s efforts to reduce interest rates. Kamala Harris has been struggling to uphold Biden’s dwindling political capital with labor unions, lacking his appeal to the working class. Earlier this month, The Teamsters union notably refused to endorse her, showing the dissatisfaction within the labor community. The looming dockworkers’ strike scheduled for October 1 threatens to exacerbate economic instability, further tarnishing the Biden-Harris administration’s standing with pivotal union voters.

The Daily Caller’s Mary Rooke outlined these major challenges Harris could face ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Harris has struggled to gain support from blue-collar workers, and a looming maritime strike threatens to worsen her situation. Rooke, like many others, say that the strike could disrupt American supply chains sending prices soaring and potentially cost the U.S. $5 billion a day in trade. If the Biden-Harris administration intervenes, similar to how it blocked a 2022 rail strike, it risks alienating union workers in critical swing states. If it doesn’t, the economic fallout could hurt Harris’s campaign further by impacting voters across the nation. “It’ll be devastating,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told Fox News about the situation. “I think people will not be seeing things on the shelves that they’re looking for. I think prices will go up. Talk about inflationary policy. There’ll be obviously a supply and demand issue that will drive up consumer prices and access to the goods that they need. And I don’t see the administration really talking about this issue. They say they’re looking at it, but we need more than just looking at it. We need them to engage to prevent this.”

The possibility of a dockworker strike adds to voters’ growing dissatisfaction with the economy—a situation that might not sit well with an electorate already on edge. Despite branding himself as the most pro-union president in American history, Biden and his administration have so far opted not to intervene. Yet, should a strike occur, it seems unlikely they would continue to avoid taking action.

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