If East Coast and Gulf Coast port workers don't reach a labor deal this week, Americans could face high prices and shortages this holiday.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Reuters) - U.S. companies that rely on East and Gulf Coast seaports have been importing early, shifting goods to the West Coast, and even putting cargo on pricey flights to hedge against a threatened Oct. 1 strike that could jam supply chains and reignite inflation ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

Manufacturers and importers have been rushing in apparel, home goods, and machine parts to avoid having cargo stuck.

With a threatened Maine to Texas port strike on October 1 getting ever nearer, the employers organization, the United States Marine Alliance (USMX), today filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking an order to require the ILA union to resume bargaining.

U.S. ports along the East and Gulf Coasts are extending delivery hours for importers as they rush to clear cargo ahead of a potential strike by dockworkers on Oct. 1.

More than 45,000 workers at ports in the South and Gulf Coast may go on strike, a move that could affect the country's supply chain. CBS News' Errol Barnett reports.

Truck drivers continue to tell News 12 that they’re frustrated, saying the lines are intentional as workers slow their work inside the terminal.

U.S. companies that rely on East and Gulf Coast seaports have been importing early, shifting goods to the West Coast, and even putting cargo on pricey flights to hedge against a threatened Oct. 1 strike that could jam supply chains and reignite inflation ahead of the U.