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REVEALED: This ‘October Surprise’ Could Tank Kamala’s Campaign

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


A threatened strike by thousands of dockworkers at major ports on the East and Gulf coasts early next week may shut down important commercial centers that handle almost half of the container cargo entering and going out of the United States.

The dockworkers’ union and a shipping industry association that represents terminal operators and ocean carriers have been unable to conclude their talks for months. This week, the parties released contrasting comments regarding their willingness to resume talks.

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) said that it has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The alliance is requesting “immediate injunctive relief” to force the union to return to the bargaining table, according to CBS News. The complaint was received, as confirmed by the NLRB, and is presently being handled by its regional office located in Newark, New Jersey. In the next days, the charge will be made public on the agency’s website, following which an inquiry will be opened.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other high-ranking Biden administration officials engaged with USMX members on Friday, pressuring them to resume negotiations before the contract expires. The administration’s inadequate management of the problem has come to light due to the last-minute scramble. Experts now issue a warning that a shutdown may significantly impair the movement of goods and increase shipping expenses. Any cost increase is likely to be passed along to consumers, which might impede the Federal Reserve’s efforts to lower interest rates and stall the normalization of US inflation.

Lacking Joe Biden’s appeal to the working class, Kamala Harris has been finding it difficult to maintain Biden’s declining political capital with labor unions. The Teamsters union notably declined to support her earlier this month, indicating discontent among the labor community. The October 1 dockworkers’ strike, which is imminent, could worsen economic uncertainty and damage the Biden-Harris administration’s reputation among critical union voters.

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Mary Rooke of The Daily Caller outlined five significant obstacles that Harris would encounter prior to the 2024 presidential contest. Blue-collar workers have been difficult for Harris to win over, and an impending maritime strike could make things worse for her.

Like many others, Rooke believes that the strike would cause supply chain disruptions in the United States, which would drive up prices and possibly cost the country $5 billion in trade every day. Should the Biden-Harris administration step in, like it did to prevent a rail strike in 2022, union workers in pivotal swing states run the risk of being alienated.

If not, the negative effects on the economy might further harm Harris’s campaign by affecting people all throughout the country.

“It’ll be devastating,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told Fox News about the situation.

“I think people will not be seeing things on the shelves that they’re looking for. I think prices will go up. Talk about inflationary policy. There’ll be obviously a supply and demand issue that will drive up consumer prices and access to the goods that they need. And I don’t see the administration really talking about this issue. They say they’re looking at it, but we need more than just looking at it. We need them to engage to prevent this,” Malliotakis added.

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The likelihood of a dockworker strike fuels voters’ mounting discontent with the state of the economy, which may agitate an already tense electorate.

Though he has positioned himself as the most pro-union president in American history, Biden and his team have refrained from acting thus far.

However, it doesn’t seem likely that they would keep putting off action in the event of a strike.

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