Ahead of the presidential election and the hectic holiday shopping season, tens of thousands of dockworkers have embarked on an indefinite walkout at ports throughout the majority of the United States, posing a serious danger to trade and the economy.

This is the first shutdown of its kind in almost fifty years.

Although the White House has stated that President Joe Biden does not intend to intervene, he is able to postpone the strike for an additional 80 days in order to conduct more discussions.

The parties' current contract ended on Monday, and negotiations had been at a standstill for some months.

in relation to the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden were keeping a careful eye on the strike.

According to the US Maritime Alliance, the two sides are at odds over a master contract that spans six years and employs over 25,000 port workers in container and roll-on/roll-off operations.

US Maritime Alliance (USMX) said on Monday that it had raised its offer, which would boost health care options, treble employers' payments to pension schemes, and increase earnings by about 50%.

While expressing worries about the challenges posed by automation, union leader Harold Daggett has asked for major salary increases for his members.

In a complaint to labour regulators, USMX claimed that the union was not willing to engage in negotiations and requested that they force the union to return to the bargaining table.

Starting pay under the prior agreement varied based on experience, from $20 to $39 per hour. Other advantages, such as bonuses related to the container trade, are also provided to workers.

According to the union, it represents around 85,000 individuals; in its external annual report to the Labor Department, it said that it had over 47,000 active members.

(Sources: bbc.co.uk)