Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked out for the first time since 1977 in a standoff over wages, benefits and job security.

Tens of thousands of longshoremen at ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico went on strike shortly after midnight, the first strike by the port workers’ union in nearly 50 years. Workers walked off the job from Maine to Texas,

The strike would be the first along ports on the East Coast in nearly 50 years, potentially crippling several industries.