Thousands of dockworkers at major ports in the East and Gulf coasts are girding to strike as early as Tuesday. The move could snarl commercial shipping on a massive scale and disrupt the national supply chain.

There are just a handful of days until a potential strike ensues at ports up and down the East Coast, including at the Port of Baltimore and Port of Virginia. The potential work stoppage for tens of thousands of dockworkers could create a supply chain problem with impacts far