Longshoremen are threatening to go on strike in two weeks, which could negatively affect the U.S. economy if shipping ports along New Jersey and the East Coast shut down.

Oct. 1 is when longshoremen who care for all of the ships and containers that dock at these ports have threatened to walk off the job.

It’s a very real possibility as the two sides have not been negotiating.

Around 45,000 port workers from Elizabeth and Newark to Maine and all the way to Texas plan to strike if demands for a reported 77% wage increase over a six-year contract aren’t met.

The U.S. Maritime Alliance is said to be offering a wage increase of 40%.

News 12 New Jersey’s Tony Caputo is Bayonne along Newark Bay with a closer look at the issues this morning on News 12.