Their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years started early Tuesday, blocking everything from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas

Thousands of dockworkers could be on the picket line – including right here on the East Coast. Negotiations between companies and the International Longshoremen’s Association are struggling to move foreword.

A strike would cause billions of dollars in economic damage and force shippers to divert more products to the West Coast, raising costs for retailers and ultimately consumers.