What the East and Gulf coast port strikes mean for the Port of LA NBC Los Angeles [Video]

Dock workers, nearly 45,000 of them from as far north as Maine to as far south as Texas, have dropped their hardhats for a hard stance as they begin walking the picket line. 

But the strikes haven’t had any direct impact on the West Coast, including the Port of LA — at least, not yet.

Ports in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and British Columbia are unionized under the “International Longshore and Warehouse Union” instead, or ILWU. The ILWU isn’t expected to hold a similar stoppage. It ratified its most recent six-year contract last year, which garnered 75% overall approval from workers. 

The potential long term effects on the West Coast are still ambiguous. In an interview with CNBC Tuesday morning, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said several importers have “fractionally shifted” some of their allocations to the twin ports of LA, busiest container port in North America, and Long Beach.

Seroka said …