Dockworkers on the East Coast and Gulf Coast are on the verge of a strike, and a decision could come as soon as Tuesday, Oct. 1.
But industry officials say a possible work stoppage would have little effect on shipping operations in the Great Lakes.
Some Great Lakes workers are represented by the International Longshoremen's Association, the union threatening to strike.
But "the ILA contracts on the East Coast and the Gulf are separate from the Great Lakes contracts, and they have separate expiration times," said Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers' Association, which represents U.S. commercial vessels on the Great Lakes.
Weakley said there's one other big reason a potential strike likely wouldn't affect Great Lakes shipping.
"We have self-unloading vessels, so we don't need dockside personnel to help us unload our ships," he said.
If there is a strike, and it goes on long enough, Weakley said it's possible some East or Gulf Coast cargo could be redirected through the Great Lakes.
But that's unlikely because most ocean-going container ships are too big to travel through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
He said a long strike could also potentially create more lake shipping opportunities for products that would otherwise leave the Great Lakes region and head to East Coast ports via rail or truck.
