An impending strike by tens of thousands of longshoremen could leave about 100,000 full cargo containers sitting idle — and spark a banana shortage in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul warned on Monday.
About 45,000 longshoremen working at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports are set to go on strike at midnight should the International Longshoremen’s Association not reach a new contract deal with the United States Maritime Alliance, a coalition of ocean shipping carriers and port operators.
But one food item that could ultimately see shortages, and by extension price surges, are bananas, which are imported by sea from Latin America, the governor noted.
“One of the issues that we’re talking about are bananas,” Hochul said during a press conference at Port Authority headquarters on Monday. “They do come in. I do not want to be in a position to say, yes, we have no bananas, but we could get to that point.”
In the meantime, Hochul said she would do her part to promote juicy New York state apples.
“We may have more apples. There’s plenty of other fruits to substitute for fruits like that, and so I will promote New York State apples, in particular. They’re very juicy and wonderful.”
New York’s overall food security is not expected to be constrained by the strike, Hochul said. Much of New York’s food supply is transported by truck or rail from upstate, other states, or Canada and Mexico. New Yorkers also shouldn’t worry about shortages of medicine, she said, as most pharmaceuticals are transported by air.
Nonetheless, it’s not clear how long the potential strike — largely centered on workers’ concerns about wages and automation — would last, but its impact on everyday New Yorkers’ lives will significantly depend on its length.
Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, said that despite the agency’s best efforts to move as much cargo in and out of New York and New Jersey ports before the strike, up to 100,000 containers filled with all manner of cargo are likely to end up stranded with no one to load or unload them.
“We do anticipate that a significant number of containers will remain stored at the port, close to 100,000,” said Cotton. “But they will be stored safely at the port for whatever duration of the strike.”
What’s more, Cotton noted that some 35 cargo ships are currently en route to New York and scheduled to arrive within the next week; those ships will have to anchor in Big Apple waters “under the supervision of the Coast Guard for whatever the duration of the strike.”
In the event of a strike, all port operations throughout the region will be shuttered. Trains and trucks will also not leave ports with containers full of goods, as no one will stock them.
Hochul attempted to calm New Yorkers and urged them not to mob stores out of anxiety over potential shortages, as happened at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor warned retailers that they should not use the strike as an excuse to price gouge.
“I’m warning everybody right now, do not, based on the current supply, do anything to affect the prices,” said Hochul. “There should be no extraordinary increases in the aftermath of this strike as well.”
Read more: Screwber’ Scheme Targets Uber: Federal Charges Filed
