New York and New Jersey’s cargo terminals shut down on Friday after thousands of longshoremen walked off the job and ceased work at approximately 11am for reasons which are still unclear, according to CNBC.
Beverly Fedorko, a Spokeswoman for the New York Shipping Association, said: “The longshoremen had not informed management of the “illegal” walkout.- we don't even know why.”
As a result, one of the country’s busiest port networks has closed until further notice.In a statement claiming the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had ‘advised’ members of the International Longshoremen’s Association to “return to work immediately and resolve their differences after they return”.
According to the Wall Street Journal, workers have since returned to work, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expecting full service to resume all of its container terminals on Monday February 1, 2016.
The most dire incident of worker strikes occurred in early 2015, when a number of ports along the US West Coast shutdown as a result of a labour dispute between the International Longshore Workers Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.
