Baltimore cargo in a jam as port workers walk off

[NEW YORK] Baltimore's port ceased operations as 2,000 union longshoremen walked off the job in a contract dispute, snarling imported cargo that included autos from Mazda Motor Corp and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.

"If an agreement can be reached within the next day or two, we don't think there will be a huge economic impact," Richard Scher, a spokesman for the Maryland Port Administration, said in an interview. "If it continues a week or two weeks, then you're looking at some significant economic impacts."

The closure puts pressure on the supply chain as Baltimore lures auto contracts away from east coast ports in New York and New Jersey. Mazda signed a five-year contract in August that will bring as many as 65,000 vehicles a year to the port from Japan, while Fiat SpA plans to ship 30,000 autos there.