A threatened Oct. 1 strike by dockworkers at ports on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico would immediately disrupt the flow of goods in the country, the North America chief executive of French container carrier CMA CGM (CMACG.

Bargaining over pay and automation has stalled, causing a possible work stoppage. Big retailers may have an edge if supply chain woes return.

"We've never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now," the Biden administration official told Reuters. Talks between the ILA and USMX have stalled over issues ranging from wages and benefits to terminal automation.

President Biden reportedly doesn't intend to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to delay a strike, but the consequences could be dire either way.

A strike is looming at the ports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, as negotiations for a new labor contract between dockworkers and their employers have sta