Here we go again. If you see a pack of Charmin, you might want to squeeze it and hold on tight. A strike that threatens to disrupt the supply chain has Americans hoarding toilet paper like it's 2020.
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Many people are posting photos of empty toilet paper shelves to social media, after a dockworker strike shut down 14 ports across the eastern United States.
But experts say there's no need to panic buy and worry, because most toilet paper is shipped on land, either from U.S. factories or from Canada or Mexico.
Most of what the port strike will affect is perishable goods, like produce. American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch said Americans are likely to see price increases from the strike pretty rapidly.
"Each day that this goes on, it creates a backlog of containers and ships," Munch told CBS MoneyWatch. "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."
As previously reported by Audacy News, ports impacted by the strike handle around half of the country's trade in cargo containers -- everything from holiday toys, clothing and furniture to cars, booze and raw materials. However, what we buy at the grocery store could see the most drastic impact.
For everything grown or caught outside the US, including coffee, fruits, vegetables and seafood, the price is expected to rise as products remain on ships instead of entering the country. While grocers likely have some supply, Munch warns that things will expire or go bad, leaving shortages and higher prices for what's left.
The strike began on Oct. 1, when around 50,000 unionized dockworkers with the International Longshoremen's Association walked off the job for the first time since 1977 amid failed contract negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance.
USMX offered the union a nearly 50% wage hike over six years in its last effort to avoid a strike on Monday. However, the offer was rejected by the union, according to CNBC.
The union is looking for higher wages and protections against having jobs replaced by automation.
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