INDIANAPOLIS – Americans may not be able to buy bananas at grocery stores any time soon if U.S. longshoremen go on strike later this month.
Other fruits will also be affected, but Americans eat more bananas per capita than any other fresh fruit, according to reports in the Daily Mail and elsewhere. About two-thirds of bananas are unloaded at U.S. ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast. The main distribution port for Chiquita and Dole is Port Wilmington, Delaware, one of the ports that could be closed in the strike. It is also a key unloading point for grapes, clementines, pears and kiwis from around the world.
If the strike were to occur, any fruit that comes ashore after Oct. 1 would likely spoil within days, or become prohibitively expensive due to the extra refrigeration it would require to stay fresh.
The date is significant because it marks the deadline for 45,000 longshoremen to strike if a new contract isn’t awarded. The International Longshoremen’s Association is negotiating on their behalf. They argue they are entitled to a share of the profits made by international container shippers during the pandemic, and are seeking an 80% pay increase over six years.
Of course, it’s not just fruit that would be affected: a week-long strike could reportedly cost the US economy $7.5 billion.
If grocery store shelves suddenly bare in the coming weeks, bananas may be the most obvious and immediate sign of the problem.
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