Hide market participants were mildly concerned about impending port strikes at 36 East Cost ports, after the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) signaled that they are likely to happen. Hide trade flow will be disrupted, and sellers are expected to be forced to ship material out of southern or western US ports, according to a few market participants.

Roughly 45,000 union workers are set to strike at ports along the East Coast starting on Tuesday October 1 if an agreement isn’t reached between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group. The ILA is requesting pay raises and a ban of using automated cranes, gates and container-moving trucks at the ports.

If the strike happens, hide sellers will be forced to reroute hides to Houston or to the West Coast, and the overflow of rerouted material could cause delays at the ports in use, according to sources.

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