On Wednesday, October 1 workers from the International Longshoremen’s Association began a strike outside of the Port of Wilmington, making demands for better pay.

The last ILA strike on the East Coast, in 1977, ended after 44 days. In 2002, President George W. Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act to halt a management lockout of West Coast port workers. Port operator Enstructure wrote last week they'd "continue to provide support services for our customers until regular operations resume."

The International Longshoreman's Association is working to increase pay for port workers across the East and Gulf Coasts.

A line of picketers chanted into bullhorns and held signs near the Wilmington port along Shipyard Boulevard Tuesday. READ MORE: NC Port Authority revamping rail yard and

The International Longshoremen's Association has called for strikes at ports all along the East Coast, demanding higher wages. Strikers at the Port of Wilmington say it’s time they earned more.

The union representing thousands of dock workers from Maine to Texas launched a strike Tuesday over wages and the use of automation, shutting down major seaports.

Tens of thousands of longshoremen went on strike at midnight ET, shutting down major ports along the East and Gulf coasts and choking off deliveries of everything from produce to auto parts.Consumers aren’t likely to feel the pinch unless a walkout lasts for multiple weeks,