Longshore workers at ports from Maine to Texas are set to walk off the job early Tuesday, staging what could become the most disruptive strike to the US economy in decades.

Port workers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks.

Negotiations between longshoremen and port operators broke down in June and the two sides have barely been speaking. The current contract expires at midnight Monday.

Both sides said in a statement that they would extend their master contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues.

Roughly 45,000 port workers from Maine to Texas have started a strike Tuesday as their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), | Despite 45,000 port workers across the East and Gulf Coasts going on strike,

Many ports along the East and Gulf coasts were shut down, threatening the country’s supply chains, after unionized port workers went on strike on Tuesday. But those workers will return to work after reaching a tentative agreement on wages with the group representing port employers.

Approximately 50,000 ILA union longshoremen went on strike after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with maritime companies

Importers and exporters are breathing a sigh of relief. A strike that closed 36 East Coast and Gulf Coast ports has been suspended until January. Members o