President Joe Biden’s administration heaped pressure on U.S. port employers to raise their offer to secure a labor deal with dockworkers on strike for a second day on Wednesday, choking half the country’s ocean shipping.

International Longshoremen’s Association chief negotiator Harold Dagget said a shut down has the power to cripple the U.S. economy

The International Longshoremen's Association, which is the largest union for dock workers, is demanding higher pay and protections against automated technology.