With tens of thousands of union dockworkers set to strike at East and Gulf Coast ports starting Tuesday, here is an overview of the labor dispute and its potential impact on the U.S. economy.

**Who is striking?**
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is the union organizing the upcoming strikes. Founded in 1877 as the Association of Lumber Handlers, the ILA states on its website that the union today represents upwards of 85,000 longshoremen on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, the Great Lakes, major U.S. rivers, Puerto Rico, eastern Canada, and the Bahamas. It is the largest union of maritime workers in North America.

**Why a strike?**
The threat of an ILA strike comes as the union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) negotiate for a new master contract agreement. The USMX represents employers of the East and Gulf Coast longshore industry, and the master contract guides subsequent local agreements at 14 East and Gulf Coast ports.

The ILA demanded the new contract include a significant wage increase, a higher starting wage, and premier health care benefits. Those negotiations seemingly deadlocked last Thursday after USMX filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board requesting injunctive relief. “USMX filing these charges four days before the expiration of the current Master Contract clearly illustrates what poor negotiating partners they have been,” the ILA said in a news release. “If it wasn’t for the ILA engaging...