NEW YORK: Tens of thousands of workers at major ports on the US East and Gulf Coasts went on strike Tuesday in action that could drag on the world’s largest economy just ahead of the November presidential election.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said the walkout was the first “coast wide strike in almost 50 years.”

The shutdown would halt shipments at 36 ports, impacting an array of goods from food to electronics and potentially costing the US economy billions of dollars a week.