A port strike lasting more than a week would likely drive up the cost of fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services, but it would take a walkout of three or four weeks for consumers to see price increases for such things as furniture, clothing and other nonperishables.

The 45,000 dockworkers who went on strike Tuesday for the first time in decades at 36 U.S. ports from Maine to Texas may wield the upper hand in their standoff with port operators over wages and the use of automation.

As the strike keeps East Coast and Gulf Coast ports closed for a second day, the Biden administration increased pressure on port employers to reach a deal with the ILA.