US dockworkers threaten to strike against automation, creating economic uncertainty

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vowing to stop machines from taking their jobs, 45,000 U.S. longshoremen are threatening to go on a strike that would shut down ports on the East and Gulf coasts and could damage the American economy just as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

If the standoff sounds familiar, it’s because the same dockworkers — members of the International Longshoremen’s Association — staged a three-day walkout last fall. In October, they suspended the strike until Jan.