Strike

If drivers walk off the job, more than 150,000 students could be looking for a ride to school.

A strike by East Coast dockworkers has been put off at least 30 days. These union members are often highly skilled, and they're critical to vital bottlenecks of global trade: ports.

We head into the weekend facing not one, but two possible shocks to the economy. There's the fiscal cliff, of course. And then there's the ports. Unionized longshoremen at 14 ports from Maine to Houston threaten to strike at midnight on Saturday, over a pay dispute.

The stuff we all buy – shoes, clothes, tools and nails – could all be harder to come by starting soon. Longshoremen on the East Coast and shipping companies and port operators have until midnight Sunday to work out a new contract.

The strike at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles rumbles on, bringing losses to some and opportunities to others.

Representatives of the National Hockey League and players are trying to settle a dispute over their respective share of the game's revenues. The dispute has already led to cancellation of about a third of the season.

Unionized clerical workers who staff the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have entered the fourth day of their strike. If the dispute continues, the ripple effects could soon be felt across the country.

A walk-out by workers at several fast-food chains in New York marks latest effort to organize an industry with high worker turnover.

Wa-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, had impressive Black Friday sales, including more than 1.3 million televisions. Outside some stores, employees and supporters picketed for higher wages and better benefits.