In our spotlight on Business Report tonight.

Some 25,000 dockworkers from Maine to Texas are preparing to strike in a shutdown that could disrupt supply chains and raise prices on certain goods.

Longshoreman at ports along the East and Gulf Coast, including right here in Newark, could walk off the job on Tuesday morning.

Negotiations for a new contract between the International Longshoremen's Association, the ILA, and their employer, the U.S. Maritime Alliance, have stalled.

Both sides have an October 1st deadline to reach a new contract.

Specifics of the contract negotiations aren't public, but the ILA is reportedly asking for significant wage increases over six years and more regulations around automation in the industry.

On Thursday, the group representing the ports filed an unfair labor practice charge to make the longshoremen's union come back to the bargaining table.

Rutgers labor expert Todd Vachon says it means the employers backs are up against the wall.

What that signals really is the employers are fearful that that a strike actually will happen come October 1st.

So they're looking at creative ways to try and bring, you know, the union back to the table.

But I think for the union to come back to the table, they're going to need to see that the employer is making some movement in their counterproposals, which is the reason why they haven't come to the table in some time.