PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 45,000 longshoremen who went on strike On Tuesday, 36 U.S. ports, from Maine to Texas, could gain the upper hand for the first time in decades in their standoff with port operators wages and the use of automation.

Organized labor is enjoying growing public support and has scored a series of recent victories in other sectors, in addition to support from President Joe Biden’s pro-union administration. The bargaining power of port workers is likely to be further strengthened as the country’s goods supply chain is under pressure in the wake of the crisis. Hurricane Helenewhich coincided with the peak holiday shopping season.

The union also points to shipping companies’ record profits, partly due to shortages caused by the pandemic, and a more generous contract that West Coast dockworkers won last year. The workload of dock workers has also increased, and the effects of inflation have eroded their wages in recent years.

In addition, trade to and from the United States has grown, which is to the union’s advantage. Its influence is further magnified by the still tight labor market, with workers in some industries demanding and in some cases receiving a greater share of companies’ excessive profits.

“I think this working group has a lot of bargaining power,” said Harry Katz, a professor of collective bargaining at Cornell University. “They are essential workers who cannot be replaced, and the ports are also doing well.”

The dock workers’ strike, the first since 1977, could do just that snoring supply chains and cause shortages and higher prices if the situation lasts more than a few weeks. Starting at midnight Tuesday, workers walked along picket lines carrying signs calling for them more money and a ban on automation That could cost employees their jobs.

Experts say consumers are unlikely to notice shortages in the coming weeks if the strike lasts that long, although some perishables such as bananas could disappear from supermarkets – although at this time of year most other fruit and vegetables are sold domestically . according to Alan Siger, president of the Produce Distributors Association, grown and not processed at the ports.

In anticipation of a strike, most major retailers also stocked up on goods and moved forward with shipping gift items for the holidays.

The strike, coming weeks before a close presidential electioncould also become a factor in the race if shortages begin to affect many voters. Ultimately, pressure could increase on the Biden administration to intervene and try to force a temporary suspension of the strike.

Little progress was reported in the talks until just hours before the strike began at 12:01 p.m. The US Maritime Alliance, the group negotiating for the ports, said both sides had moved away from their original positions. The alliance offered a 50% wage increase over the six-year term of the contract. Comments from the union’s leadership briefly suggested an increase to 61.5%, but the union has since indicated it will stick to its initial demand for a 77% pay increase over six years.

“We have demonstrated our commitment to doing our part to end the entirely avoidable ILA strike,” the alliance said on Tuesday. The ports’ wage offer is higher than any other recent union settlement, the group said.

“We look forward to hearing from the Union on how we can get back to the table and actually negotiate, which is the only way to reach a solution,” the statement said.

Early pickets saw workers walking in a circle outside the Port of Philadelphia and chanting, “No work without a fair contract.” The union placed noticeboards on the side of a truck that read: “Automation harms families: ILA stands for job protection.”

Boise Butler, president of the local union, claimed workers want a contract that doesn’t allow for the automation of their jobs. The shipping companies, he argued, made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices.

“Now,” Butler said, “we want them to pay back.” They are going to pay it back.”

And in New Orleans, Henry Glover Jr., a fourth-generation longshoreman and local union president, said he remembers the days when longshoremen unloaded 150-pound bags of sugar by hand. He acknowledges that machines have made the job easier, but he worries that the ports will need fewer people to handle the equipment.

“Automation could be good, but they are using it to destroy jobs,” Glover says. “We don’t want them to implement something that would take away our jobs.”

William Brucher, an assistant professor of labor studies and labor relations at Rutgers University, noted that “this is a very opportune time” for striking workers.

The contract agreement reached last year with Longshoremen on the West Coastrepresented by another union shows that “higher wages are certainly possible” for the dockworkers and has increased their bargaining power, Brucher said.

Under the Taft-Hartley Act, Biden could seek a court order for an 80-day cooling-off period that would at least temporarily end the strike, but he has told reporters he would not take that step. The administration could risk losing union support if it exercises such power, which experts say could be particularly damaging to Democrats ahead of next month’s elections.

On Tuesday, the White House continued to ask the alliance to negotiate a fair contract that reflects the dockworkers’ contribution to the economy.

“As our nation climbs out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Biden said in a statement, “portworkers will play a vital role in getting communities the resources they need. This is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate fair wages for these essential workers while raking in record profits.”

Ben Nolan, a transportation analyst at Stifel, said the government is unlikely to intervene until consumers start seeing empty shelves or can’t find essential goods such as medicine.

“Medicine and other things come in containers,” Nolan said. “I think if the government wants a reason to get involved, it’s things like that.”

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Krisher reported from Detroit, Grantham-Philips from New York. Associated Press journalists Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, Jack Brook in New Orleans, Anne D’Innocenzio and Mae Anderson in New York, Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Josh Boak in Washington and Annie Mulligan in Houston contributed to this report.