CNN broadcast similar images from Philadelphia, while a New York Times video showed Daggett addressing workers on the picket lines.
“We are making history,” he said in New Jersey, as dockworkers held signs saying “Profit over people is unacceptable.”
A possible stoppage had been telegraphed for months, with the odds rising in recent weeks as the two sides described themselves as far apart.
USMX said on Monday it was “hopeful” after the two sides exchanged counter-offers.
However, there was still no deal when the six-year contract expired at midnight.
The walkout marks the ILA’s first since 1977 and follows other high-profile strikes at US automakers, Boeing and other employers.
The contract directly affects about 25,000 ILA members at 14 large US ports, including New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Savannah, New Orleans and Houston.
Oxford Economics estimated that the strike would dent US gross domestic product by US$4.5 billion to US$7.5 billion per week. The overall economic hit depends on the length of the strike, analysts say.
A lengthy strike could also pose political challenges.
US President Joe Biden, a close ally of organised labour, has so far ruled out federal intervention, citing the need to respect collective bargaining rights.
But business lobbies are sure to amplify calls for action if the strike drags out.
FIGHTING AUTOMATION
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday port officials were scrambling to clear out as many items as possible before the impending stoppage.
Other ports, such as New Orleans and Savannah, had offered extended hours in recent days ahead of the deadline.
The union is pressing for protections against automation-related job loss and for hefty wage hikes after dockworkers kept providing essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
USMX said Monday its latest offer would “increase wages by nearly 50 per cent, triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, strengthen our health care options, and retain the current language around automation and semi-automation.”
