US dockworkers launch strike after labor contract expires [Video]

Dockworkers at major ports along the US East and Gulf Coasts began walking off the job early Tuesday after last-minute negotiations yielded no new labor contract, a stoppage expected to drag on the world’s largest economy just ahead of the November presidential election.

A strike at the Port of Virginia “began at 12:01 am,” the port said on its website, adding that talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) shipping group “have reached an impasse.”

“This is not unique to Virginia,” the port of Virginia said. “This is a coast-wide labor action, meaning it is directed at container ports along the US East and Gulf Coasts.”

Neither the ILA nor USMX replied immediately to a request for comment.

A possible stoppage had been telegraphed for months, with the odds rising in recent weeks as the two sides described themselves as far apart, with …