U.S. port strike will ’cause some issues’ for Manitoba, local experts say

A onslaught successful the United States that has seen 45,000 workers instrumentality to the picket lines could person wide-ranging impacts, adjacent beyond that country’s borders.

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association astatine 36 ports successful the U.S., from Maine connected the East Coast to Texas connected the Gulf Coast, began striking implicit wages and automation Tuesday.

Barry Prentice, a prof of proviso concatenation absorption astatine the University of Manitoba, told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show that the longer it takes to resoluteness the situation, the longer it volition instrumentality to get the proviso concatenation backmost connected track.

“It’s conscionable the diverseness of things. The (idea) that it’ll instrumentality six days oregon a week for each time retired is perfectly correct,” Prentice said.

“That’s due to the fact that you’ve got this backlog of merchandise which is besides connected its way, truthful we’d amended anticipation it cleans up reasonably quickly.”

Prentice said vacation buying this wintertime could beryllium affected, arsenic a batch of items that extremity up connected store shelves successful December would already beryllium en way by boat.

“A batch of stores beryllium connected Christmas for the bulk of their sales, and those goods are coming successful now,” helium said.

“Things that don’t get done and don’t get connected the support successful clip would beryllium a problem, obviously.”

Canadian retail expert Bruce Winder told Global Winnipeg that the interaction of the strike, which helium calls “mammoth” successful magnitude, volition interaction Canadian businesses and consumers arsenic well.

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“I deliberation the onslaught is going to make immoderate issues,” helium said. “It’s going to interaction Canadian companies arsenic it relates to fruit, vegetables, caller effect from South America. Those are going to beryllium contiguous impacts.

“Any Canadian institution that bought merchandise that comes from Europe, comes from South America, comes from Mexico, is going to astir apt person an issue, due to the fact that that’s going to beryllium held up present — and if that merchandise is for the fall, it mightiness beryllium precocious for the autumn depending however agelong this goes on.”

Winder said the information that ports each on the East Coast are shuttered means companies can’t bash what they would usually do, which is divert to the adjacent closest larboard successful the lawsuit of a strike.

“We’ve ne'er seen a onslaught this large, encompassing each the East Coast and the Gulf Coast.

“When the full seashore is connected strike, it’s precise difficult. You can’t divert anywhere.”