New Jersey
With dock worker strike looking ‘likely,’ plans underway for orderly shutdown of NJ ports
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Video: We take you behind the scenes at Port Newark
New Jersey’s ports — among the busiest in the U.S. — face a pivotal moment, requiring innovation and collaboration along a complex supply chain
A looming strike by dock workers at ports along the East Coast now “looks likely,” a Port Authority official told the agency board Wednesday, and outlined steps the agency is taking should a strike shut down the Port of New York and New Jersey, which includes key facilities in Newark and Elizabeth.
The International Longshoremen’s Association has threatened to strike if a new contract with East Coast port terminal and shipping companies is not ironed out by the time the old contract expires Oct. 1.
That would shut down some of the busiest ports in the country, including the Port of New York and New Jersey — the nation’s second busiest — potentially disrupting the delivery of billions of dollars worth of consumer goods as the holiday shopping season approaches.
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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is not involved in negotiations between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, or USMX, a group of shipping and port terminal companies.
But the Port Authority, which leases the space at the ports to the shipping companies, is working to bring in as many ships as possible in the next few weeks and planning out an orderly shutdown of the ports, said Beth Rooney, the Port Authority’s ports director.
Once a strike occurs, all activity involving loading and unloading cargo containers and automobiles will come to a halt, Rooney said. Cruise ships will continue to operate.
The ports are unloading about 20 large container ships a week, and Rooney said they expect 150,000 containers to be unloaded before a strike hits.
Some carriers on Wednesday started issuing orders to their customers to embargo cargo from being sent to the ports for export so containers doesn’t start piling up at the port terminals, Rooney said.
The items that would need to travel the furthest to New Jersey ports from the Midwest would receive embargo orders first.
More: NJ ports have been slow to modernize. Will they take the leap to control costs?
“Many importers — retailers and other companies — have been aware for months of the possibility of a strike, and have therefore pushed forward their importing schedule so that a lot of holiday goods are already in the country and safe from a strike,” said Peter Tirschwell vice president for maritime and trade at S&P Global.
In addition, shipping to ports on the West Coast has surged. But that rerouting process can drive up the cost of goods once they reach store shelves.
During a strike, container ships would moor offshore
Container ships with imports bound for Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island, meanwhile, would end up mooring at designated sites in New York Harbor or off the coast while the strike lasts, or simply slow down, drift and loiter to ride the strike out in the Atlantic, Rooney said.
Once a strike was over, the U.S. Coast Guard, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, would coordinate the orderly arrival of waiting ships into the port facilities.
Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, told the agency’s board on Wednesday that a strike “looks likely.”
The ILA union cut off contract talks in June after learning that a form of automation had been introduced at the Port of Mobile in Alabama, which they said violated the existing contract.
The USMX has said it has been unable to schedule new meetings with the union.
Could mean weeks of supply chain delays
A strike could impact key ports on the East and Gulf coasts, from Maine to Houston.
Tirschwell said that a strike of a few days could mean weeks of supply chain delays, while a strike lasting a week or longer would mean delays of over a month.
The ILA, based in North Bergen, represents 85,000 workers across the East and Gulf coasts.
Its leaders are seeking significant pay hikes for their members, saying they deserve a fair share of the profits that shipping and port terminal companies have made as cargo volume remains higher after the demand caused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also oppose efforts to automate the ports, which would reduce jobs for dock workers.
President Biden does not plan to intervene to prevent a strike at this time, Reuters has reported.
Presidents do have the authority to intervene in certain labor disputes by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period under the Taft-Hartley Act, forcing workers back on the job while negotiations continue.
“We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now,” the Biden administration official told Reuters.
Staff writer Daniel Munoz contributed to this article.
This article contains some information from Reuters.
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In New Jersey, Mercer County officials have enacted new policies limiting the ability of federal immigration agents to access and use county property to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson issued an executive order and the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution Friday that bans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol from using any nonpublic area on county property to enforce immigration law, unless they have obtained a judicial warrant or judicial order.
“From Minneapolis to Delaney Hall, ICE has repeatedly shown a total disregard for the law and for the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens alike,” Benson said in a statement. “We respect the Federal Government’s authority to enforce immigration law, but we will not allow them to use County properties to harass our families.”
“With this resolution, we’re sending a clear message that everyone in our community can safely interact with County government, and access County services, without fear,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Terrance Stokes in a statement. “ICE’s actions threaten the fabric of our community, and we will take whatever steps we can, within the bounds of the law, to protect our residents.”
New Jersey and New York City commuters are facing extensive delays in and out of New York Penn Station Friday, with intensifying ripple effects, after an Amtrak work train car on one of the hub’s tracks caught fire.
The FDNY says it was called to the Midtown scene on 31st Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, around 1:30 a.m. Nearly 100 personnel responded. Five civilians were evaluated at the scene by EMS, officials say.
It’s not clear what sparked the fire involving Amtrak’s contractor maintenance vehicles in one of the Hudson River Tunnels. It was knocked down well before 6 a.m., but service on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and more was expected to see heavy impacts well into the morning rush, with Hudson River trains operating at reduced capacity. Amtrak said it didn’t expect to lift its suspension until at least noon.
Travel Advisory: Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York (NYP) are temporarily suspended. This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum. Services…
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 29, 2026
New Jersey Transit and LIRR also announced delays and cancellations. Cross-honoring and diversion programs were in effect as the situation developed. Complete LIRR service at NY Penn had resumed by around 7 a.m., Friday said, though equipment issues were causing cancellations. Get the latest transit information here.
Video from outside Penn Station showed smoke billowing in the pre-dawn hours, as emergency personnel stood by with stretchers awaiting any potential victims.
Amtrak is investigating the cause of the fire.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” the agency’s latest announcement said, pledging to provide updates as new information becomes available.
How are detainees at Delaney Hall being treated?
A statement issued by DHS said detainees receive comprehensive medical care and all are treated well.
“They are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals,” the department wrote.
The release accused Sherrill, Booker and U.S. Sen Andy Kim, as well as U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez, Nellie Pou, LaMonica McIver, Frank Pallone and Analilia Majia, of continuing “to peddle falsehoods about ICE facilities,” and “spreading smears about ICE law enforcement and the Delaney Hall ICE facility in New Jersey.”
Sinha said the assertion that individuals being arrested and taken to Delaney Hall are dangerous criminals is false.
“This is an administration that has repeatedly lied to us about what’s going on in immigration enforcement and immigration detention facilities,” Sinha said.
He added while Sherrill does not have the legal authority to enter Delaney Hall unannounced, that fact that she was denied entry is concerning.
“The federal government has denied her repeatedly, and it makes you question, ‘What is the federal government trying to hide?’” he asked. “They have no allegiance to any rule of law or semblance of democracy; they’re trying to rewrite the Constitution for people who are noncitizens.”
On Thursday, Sherrill issued a statement saying the New Jersey Department of Health attempted to conduct a inspection of Delaney Hall, but officials were only allowed to inspect only a limited part of the facility.
“We will review and share the department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility,” she said in the statement. “As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view.”
Sinha said a hunger strike among those inside the facility is continuing because they are being given spoiled food and inadequate medical care in deplorable conditions.
“People shouldn’t have to starve themselves to make their dignity known; people shouldn’t have to starve themselves to have their rights protected, but that’s what’s happening here,” he said.
Reports of escalating violence
Late Thursday afternoon there were reports of violence escalating within Delaney Hall.
Nedia Morsy, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, an immigration advocacy group, issued a statement saying multiple sources within the facility reported ICE agents attacking detainees and causing serious injuries.
“Right now there are ICE agents inside of Delaney Hall violently beating the hunger strikers,” Morsy said in the statement. “Someone will be killed if no one intervenes and shuts this down. These masked agents are acting as if they’re above the law. This is a modern-day concentration camp, and history will not forgive silence in this moment. We need to shut down Delaney Hall and free everyone inside.”
Resistencia en Accion, another immigrant rights group, also released a statement, calling for violence against detainees to end.
“We express our utmost disgust with the violence perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents today, May 28. Reports at approximately 1:40 p.m. reveal that ICE agents attacked the hunger strikers inside with batons and tear gas. Family members outside received calls from inside, confirming that there were people screaming, and according to their loved ones inside, unconscious detainees and blood on surfaces. ICE is the sole responsible actor for the escalation that has led to several wounded people inside and outside this week,” the statement reads.
WHYY News reached out to DHS late Thursday seeking comment about the reports of violence at Delaney Hall. A written statement was emailed to WHYY that said ICE agents had responded to a physical altercation involving detainees.
“In accordance with established ICE policies and their training, staff used the minimum amount of force to safely deescalate the situation,” DHS wrote. “Following the incident, all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site medical personnel and were cleared with no serious injuries.”
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