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A work stoppage could begin as soon as Oct. 1 if the U.S. Maritime Alliance doesn’t reach an agreement with the International Longshoremen’s Association. The resulting stoppage at major East Coast ports could feature 25,000 dockworkers walking off the job, something that could snarl supply chains and cost billions of dollars, depending on how long it lasted.

In the letter, Cassidy, who is the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, accused Biden and Harris of being more interested in having a “pro-union” legacy than being “pro-worker.” The letter is addressed to both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic nominee for president.

“Strikes at the East and Gulf Coast ports will have devastating consequences for American workers,” he said. “A work stoppage not only affects 25,000 longshoremen, but also thousands of other port and freight workers who work at or move goods from the ports to businesses.”

The contract in question covers ports located between Maine and Texas, including giant ones like New York, New Orleans, and Savannah, Georgia.

Cassidy is calling for Biden to use federal law to sidestep the looming strike. He has the legal ability to do so if he imposed an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act, which amended the Labor Relations Act to give the executive authority to intervene in instances that represent national emergencies.

In the letter, he points out that the strike would come in the lead-up to the holiday shopping season, which already features increased demand, and would come after years of inflation, which has been plaguing households across the country.

“Other ripple effects include higher costs, reduced purchasing power for consumers, export loss, and import delays,” he said. “This is alarming given the historically high inflation American families are experiencing because of your administration’s policies.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment about Cassidy’s letter.

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Last week, Reuters quoted a Biden administration official, whose identity was not published, in saying that the president would not invoke Taft-Hartley to break a ports strike.

“American families should not pay the price for your administration’s “pro-union” favoritism,” Cassidy said. “Your refusal to act prioritizes convenience over the needs of the American people. You have the tools to act and avoid a harmful strike—all that is missing is leadership.”