Thoughts on the Dockworkers Strike, will it effect medication availability?

[TwoMisfits]

Yes, it will effect prices and availability - if you look at Covid lockdowns, it will probably have similar effects. Things escalate quickly when there are no more things being brought in, b/c we are mostly a "just in time" economy.

Hopefully, we won't be short on medications b/c those are future stockable, and many folks saw this strike coming. Things that spoil and aren't able to be pre-stocked in large quantities, like certain international fresh food items, are more likely to skyrocket in price and become unavailable in the very near future on the east coast. The effects on the east coast may filter to the middle and western sides of the country, but the eastern effect will be the greatest.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I really hope all the businesses that supply things learned some things in 2020 and handle it better 4 years later.

all in all I suppose this is a good way to test the system and find out if the US is prepared, or not.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I went to Costco this morning. It seemed busier than usual. There were no paper towels and almost every person was buying 2-4 packs of toilet paper and water - both were getting low. It all reminded me of the pandemic.

Ironically, just 7.5% of toilet paper is imported and most of it that is comes in from Canada and Mexico If we run out its because of our own panic, not because of dock workers.

 

[soccerdad72]

I really hope all the businesses that supply things learned some things in 2020 and handle it better 4 years later.

all in all I suppose this is a good way to test the system and find out if the US is prepared, or not.

Nobody was expecting a pandemic. This strike has been a looming possibility for quite some time now, so suppliers have been able to prepare to handle much of the demand except for a few commodities, like perishable items (which, obviously, can't be stockpiled in warehouses).

 

[mistysue]

I just don't get how people can continue to blindly support the union bosses. Of course I am the oddball in my family. Pretty much everyone but me has been in unions.

It's interesting right? For the most part, unions are about the union members and collective bargaining... often reps can even be unpaid volunteers. Then you have some unions where people have figured out it pays better to be a union rep than part of the general membership... this seems to happen with larger unions so when a strike is big enough for people to notice, it always makes me wonder "what's in it for the rep?" and nobody seems to be asking. I know we have laborer unions where the reps are making many times the membership, plus it's full time in fields that are seasonal. There was a huge deal years back when the local union bosses had the apprentices basically build them homes as training. Of course it was all a write off for the union, and mysteriously nobody bought the houses from the union, they were simply owned by those union bosses. Meanwhile the employers had to pay the apprentice hourly rates during the "training."

 

[BrianL]

Ironically, just 7.5% of toilet paper is imported and most of it that is comes in from Canada and Mexico If we run out its because of our own panic, not because of dock workers.

That's what I don't get. I understand that this will impact certain products and some types of fresh/perishible foods, but do we really need to be making a run on the stores for toilet paper, etc.? This isn't going to affect the general availability of most food staples.

 

[Kennywood]

The ILA members currently have a base salary of $81,000, but large amounts of overtime can allow some to reach $200,000. They want a 77% pay raise over 6 years. That would give them a salary ranging from almost $150,000 to over $350,000.

I'm sorry, but that's absolutely ridiculous!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

That's what I don't get. I understand that this will impact certain products and some types of fresh/perishible foods, but do we really need to be making a run on the stores for toilet paper, etc.? This isn't going to affect the general availability of most food staples.

Western ports are not affected by the way. They are part of a different Union. So there should be a run at costco on French wine to use but one example, not TP.

 

[BrianL]

Western ports are not affected by the way. They are part of a different Union. So there should be a run at costco on French wine to use but one example, not TP.

Right. There are certian things that will be affected, but it sounds like people are running the stores like a blizzard is coming! I needed to stop by the store too, but I don't want to fight that.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Right. There are certian things that will be affected, but it sounds like people are running the stores like a blizzard is coming! I needed to stop by the store too, but I don't want to fight that.

We always stay at a one month position on that kind of thing.

 

[BrianL]

We always stay at a one month position on that kind of thing.

Good call. I don't actually need toilet paper, but other things, but I think I will let the craziness die down. I don't have to get them today.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our pantry is well stocked. We need a reason not to go to the store to eat through it.

Our daughter moved her apartment home to our house this summer and then left for overseas. So we have all of her left-over grocery items, last weekend we hosted a big baby shower, and the caterer had a lot left over, and we had a hurricane scare 3 weeks ago and we stocked up on canned goods.

We are set for a while.

Yes, we'd miss perishable foods, but the strike won't last forever and we'll make do.


Also, there are 2 small ports near me. On the news last night, they said that they would be minimally affected because a lot of their employees are NOT union employees. So the non-union employees would keep the docks running smoothly and on time.

These ports take in bananas and chicken and export petroleum, chicken and catfish.