THE threatened strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) in United States East Coast ports is set to begin at midnight on Tuesday.

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employers body has failed to respond to union demands on pay and for talks on the use of automation and robotics in ports on the east coast, from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.

The strike is set to go ahead from Tuesday at 12:01 am.

The union says the strike will not affect military cargo shipments or cruise ship traffic, but could stop the flow of everything from food to cars at major ports. 

ILA president Harold Daggett has said the union will shut down the 36 ports it covers if employers, like container ship operator Maersk and its APM Terminals North America, do not deliver significant wage increases and stop terminal automation projects. 

“These people today don't know what a strike is. It will cripple you,” Mr Daggett said in a video post.

US President Joe Biden’s administration met the employers and told them: “They need to be at the table and negotiating in good faith fairly and quickly.”

A similar message was sent to the ILA.