The International Longshoremen's Association is preparing for a potential strike that could potentially shut down seaports from Maine to Texas.

It's increasingly likely that thousands of dockworkers at major ports along the East and Gulf coasts will strike on Oct. 1, those close to the parties tell Axios. Why it matters: Americans would feel this one.

With a strike deadline looming, the group representing East and Gulf Coast ports is asking a federal agency to make a union representing dockworkers come to the bargaining