A possible port strike in Philadelphia and across the United States is imminent

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The clock is ticking on a possible Strike at ports across the countryalso in Philadelphia.

The union that represents 45,000 longshoremen from Texas to Maine could go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The possible strike could bring operations at the Port of Philadelphia to a standstill.

Officials rush to unload ships at the Port of Philadelphia as a possible strike looms. CBS News Philadelphia saw at least 100 trucks cart away pineapples, bananas and vegetables in 10 minutes.

“What you saw there on Packer Avenue is a very carefully orchestrated project that sometimes doesn't look like it… it's about everyone doing their job as it goes through,” said Leo Holt, the president of Holt Logistics.

Longshoremen's work could come to a halt in Philly and at ports along the East Coast if an agreement is not reached by midnight.

The view from the Walt Whitman Bridge showed a busy maze of containers and workers moving the many pieces of an ever-changing puzzle.

Experts said in the event of a strike, additional supply chains would help ease pressure on ports.

“You may not see as big of an impact unless it takes several weeks or a month because a lot of supply chains have planned for this and are basically sourcing items from overseas,” Dr. Subodha Kumar, professor of statistics, operations and data science at Temple University.

Hopkins Seafood said plans for seafood orders changed when news of a strike broke.

“We kind of backed off when we heard the ports might go on strike,” said Andy Siegel of Hopkins Seafood. “We tried to get things in earlier.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was asked Monday about the possible strike and expressed confidence that both sides are working toward an agreement.

“People stay at the table. Both sides continue to talk and make sure we don’t get an artificial deadline,” Shapiro said.

Holt's family has worked at the marine terminal for 98 years. Any work stoppage would mean a fruit and vegetable jam.

“It’s a big bottleneck,” Holt said. “Every day will be five to six days of relief in terms of deconsolidating what’s happening.”