A man who was an essential worker during the pandemic took to TikTok to issue a public warning about the port strike that began on Oct. 1, affecting the East and Gulf Coast regions.
In a TikTok video that has garnered 90,400 views at the time of writing, Amos (@nabiamos) warns of potential shortages due to the ongoing port strike.
Filming outside of a Kroger grocery store about to go shopping, Amos begins, “Here’s why you may want to do some grocery shopping yourself.”
What is the port strike?
In his video, Amos says 45,000 port workers are striking, shutting down major East and Gulf Coast ports. He warns, “For every single day that this port is shut down, … it will create a five-day backlog.”
American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch echoes this in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
“Each day that this goes on it creates a backlog of containers and ships. … A 3-to-5-day strike will take two weeks to clear — if it goes into three-week territory, it will be early January before it gets cleared,” Munch said.
Drawing on his personal experience as an essential worker during the pandemic, Amos recounts how slow operations were but stresses that this situation is more dire.
“This is a shutdown. This is actually different.” He explains that key supplies—“medicine, food, water”—come from container ships, and the strike could significantly disrupt supply chains.
Amos points out that, despite the gravity of the situation, President Biden is not intervening, leaving it to the private sector to resolve. This is true, according to CNBC.
“Joe Biden literally said that he’s not getting involved. … There’s no mediator,” Amos adds.
The worst-case scenario, according to him, would be a backlog lasting for months, potentially leading to shortages of essential goods.
Amos ends with a final piece of advice: “I’m not saying panic, but… you should go food shopping because a lot of the things you might like to buy might be out of stock if we go into worst-case scenario.”
According to USA Today, these are the items that could be affected by the port strike: seafood, electronics, alcohol, bananas, cars, auto parts, machinery parts, and pharmaceuticals. You don’t need to panic-buy things like toilet paper, as most toilet paper comes from domestic factories.
Has the strike begun?
After months of stalled negotiations, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) failed to reach an agreement, leading to a strike that started at midnight on Oct. 1.
Around 45,000 workers from East and Gulf Coast ports have stopped operations, calling for a $5 hourly pay raise and protections against job losses due to automation.
How could it affect you?
According to a report by the Washington Post, consumers might not notice immediate effects.
Experts say that big-box retailers anticipated the strike, rerouting shipments and building up inventories–which means your go-to products might not go off the shelves just yet.
However, small businesses are a different story. Lacking the resources to adapt, these smaller and mid-size businesses are expected to face more severe challenges, potentially leading to missed sales opportunities during the critical holiday season.
Finally, experts warn that if the strike lasts longer than two weeks, supply chain disruptions could hit holiday shopping across industries and business sizes. As a result, one could expect delays, higher prices, and shortages.
Viewers share their prep
In the comments, most users are grateful for the important PSA Amos shared. Others offered their thoughts and preparation techniques.
“I’ve been prepping here and there, little by little for over a year now just for something like this,” wrote one user. “My sis asked my why I don’t save up $$ instead of buying goods. This is exactly why.”
“Add in the aftermath of hurricane Helene and the hurricane that’s to come…it ain’t looking good,” offered another.
“I’m definitely going to get the biggest bag of beans and rice I can find,” said a third.
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The Daily Dot has reached out to Amos via email and Instagram direct message for further comment.
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The post ‘It will create a 5-day backlog’: Kroger shopper issues warning over port strike. Here’s how it could affect you appeared first on The Daily Dot.
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