What to know about the port workers strike and its effect on the economy (original) (raw)

Thousands of longshoremen went on strike at ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico Monday at midnight, halting trade in a wide range of goods and disrupting the economy weeks before the presidential election.

The strike affects products shipped in containers — everything from toys to medicine — along with cars and trucks at as many as 36 ports between Maine and Texas. Shippers and port managers have been preparing for months in anticipation of disruptions, but analysts say a huge volume of imports and exports will still be affected.