As tensions over automation grow, 45,000 U.S. dockworkers are threatening a massive strike that could paralyze ports along the East and Gulf coasts. A standoff could send shockwaves through the economy with East and Gulf Coast ports handling over half of the nation's container traffic,

Vowing to stop machines from taking their jobs, 45,000 U.S. longshoremen are threatening to go on a strike that would shut ports on the East and Gulf coasts and could damage the American economy just as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Key Takeaways Dock workers could resume their brief strike from October if an agreement isn’t reached between them and dock operators before the Jan. 15 contract deadline.While the two sides agreed to a pay increase in October,

A US dockworkers’ union and their employer group will meet in New Jersey on Tuesday with just over a week to hammer out a deal on a new labor contract or risk halting roughly half of all the country’s container volumes.

Contract talks covering 45,000 dockworkers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts are set to restart on Tuesday in a labor dispute that will help set the pace of automation at ports stretching from Maine to Texas.