NORFOLK, Va. — Workers with the International Longshoremen’s Association are on day two of a strike demanding higher pay and restrictions on automation.
Word of the strike along the East Coast and the Gulf, coupled with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, has led to bare shelves in stores across Hampton Roads – particularly a shortage of paper products which brings back memories of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch: Port of Virginia shuts down Monday ahead of expected ILA strike
Jerry MacCauley is a licensed clinical social worker with REBOOT Mind, Body, Health. He says this type of behavior is really a way that people try to protect themselves.
“It’s about a sense of panic or how do we control something that’s really out of our control?” MacCauley said.
He says anxiety can be high with the strike, the hurricane, and election season. He recommends sticking to a routine, maintaining good sleep hygiene, self-care, and trying not to let rumors, media, or social media cause panic.
“Know your triggers. If you know you have a friend that’s kind of hyper-responsive to things and this is going on, maybe that’s not the first friend you go to for support,” he added.
Watch: ILA members picket outside Port of Virginia as union strike begins
MacCauley says if you do find yourself having ongoing anxiety, try self-care like yoga or walks, and if that doesn’t help, reach out to a counselor, a family member, or friend.
Dr. Bob McNab is a professor of economics at Old Dominion University. He says people fear there’s going to be a shortage, so they run out and get things like toilet paper and bread, but sometimes there’s not actually a shortage… and he says the first recommendation is “don’t panic.”
“Right now, we’re within the first 24 hours of a strike. The effects of the hurricane are highly localized and not affecting supply chains across the United States. So today, tomorrow, the rest of the week, we’re not going to see major disruptions at retailers across Hampton Roads,” stated McNab. “If the strike starts pushing into a second week, third week, we’re going to start to see some disruptions: goods that are imported from China, agricultural goods from South America, goods from Europe will start to be on ships and not being offloaded to your grocery store or retailer.”
Watch: Economist offers perspective on possible longshoremen strike
He says it’s unlikely that paper products would be affected, rather items like fruits from South America or European wines and cheeses, perhaps clothing and shoes. McNab says we’ll only notice this if the strike continues for longer periods of time.
“At the end of the day, it’s simple: don’t panic. Let this play out. In the worst case, what’s going to happen is the President’s going to feel political pressure to step in and order the parties back to the negotiating table and order the workers back to the docs offloading the goods.”
Meantime a written statement from ILA read, in part:
“The ILA s fighting for respect, appreciation, and fairness in a world which corporations are dead set on replacing hardworking people with automation. Employers push automation under the guise of safety, but it is really about cutting labor costs to increase their already exceptionally high profits. As the last six years have demonstrated, automation cannot outperform the skilled men and women of the ILA….”
A representative of ILA told News 3 on Wednesday that they will continue to picket off Hampton Boulevard, across from the Port of Virginia 24-7 until an agreement is reached.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
