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Tag: port strike

  • Viral Videos Alleging Panic Buying at Costco Emerge During Perfect Storm of Hurricane Helene and Port Strike

    Viral Videos Alleging Panic Buying at Costco Emerge During Perfect Storm of Hurricane Helene and Port Strike

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    Credit: Screenshot: Washington’s ghost TikTok

    America is facing two very daunting tasks on the homefront at the moment.

    Surely readers have seen the tragic, devastating images and videos coming out of North Carolina (and Georgia and Florida, and parts elsewhere.)

    Entire buildings, entire streets, and entire villages have effectively been wiped off the map by Hurricane Helene, and by all indications, help from authorities is slow in coming. (Although that hasn’t stopped workaday Americans from doing what they always do: helping out.)

    Then there’s the massive port strike, affecting much of the East Coast and Gulf areas.

    Combined, the two are wreaking havoc on the economy, and as you might guess, people are worried. So worried, we’re seeing claims of panic buying crop up on social media.

    Panic Buying At Costco?

    Several people have shared what they claim is panic – or at least worried – buying at Costco. Obviously, as with anything on social media, take it with a grain of salt.

    User WillWng11 shared a video that shows huge lines and carts filled with necessities like water and toilet paper:

    User Chelsarita told a similar story, showing that the toilet paper section of her Costco is completely empty.

    For regular Costco shoppers, you know there’s normally enough toilet paper to serve the British Navy.

    That wasn’t the only Costco where people reported a dearth of toilet paper, either:

    Everywhere you look, it seems to be the same story:

    The local News 12 in New Jersey reported that clerks are restocking more than normal due to the expected influx of customers:

    The port strike trouble stems from some 50,000 members of the International Longshoreman’s union going on strike for higher pay.

    Demands reportedly include a 77% pay increase, even as roughly a third of union members make over $200,000 annually.

    The strike taking place in the immediate aftermath of a very deadly hurricane on the same coast is a recipe for disaster if the union can’t come to an agreement.

    And speaking of that hurricane, how much help those people are getting is an open question. At least one rescue pilot – a former narcotics unit Sheriff’s deputy no less – reported that he was threatened with arrest after saving several people in his helicopter.

    No question, we are looking at a perfect storm for a humanitarian disaster if things aren’t cleared up soon.

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    Derek Ellerman

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  • Possible dock workers strike looms as talks go on

    Possible dock workers strike looms as talks go on

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    ELIZABETH, New Jersey (WABC) — A strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is on the table – and with a deadline of October 1, there is no word on exactly how close or how far apart both sides are.

    The potential economic implications of a strike along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast are massive as at least 50,000 dockworkers threaten to walk off the job just after midnight on Tuesday.

    The ILA claims wages have remained flat while the profits of carriers have skyrocketed. The union is demanding higher hourly wages over the course of a new contract – along with a ban on automated cranes, gates and trucks.

    “We have to fight for what we rightfully deserve – let’s get a contract, and let’s move on with the world,” said ILA President Harold J. Daggett.

    On the other side the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which says it is committed to negotiating, claims the union is not bargaining in good faith.

    If both sides remain deadlocked, operations could grind to a halt at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, and several more of the nation’s highest-grossing ports.

    Any resulting supply chain disruptions could wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.

    The East Coast and Gulf Coast ports account for more than half of U.S. container imports. Should a disruption last weeks, there will be major supply chain challenges, driving up prices for things like produce, seafood, pharmaceuticals, electronics and cars.

    “It’s estimated that a strike would cost somewhere around $5 billion a day. That would be the economic impact, So it’s substantive, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to get to the table, and you know, come to the middle,” said University of Houston Supply Chain and Logistics Technology Program Director Margarett Kidd.

    It is important to note that a strike could also impact Puerto Rico. That is because 85 percent of the island’s food supply comes from the mainland United States. 90 percent of those shipments come through ILA-staffed ports.

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    Sonia Rincón

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