By Lisa Baertlein and David Shepardson LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Officials from President Joe Biden's administration are monitoring labor talks but not trying to broker a labor deal to avert an Oct.

Dockers at 36 ports from Texas to Maine say they will walk off the job on October 1st after their contract expires. This is the first port labour dispute on the east coast since 1977. In recent years labour-related uncertainty has been more common on the west coast,

Failure to reach a new longshoremen contract deal risks many East and Gulf Coast ports closing before the year-end consumer spending push -- threatening billions in losses to businesses.

Plus, a strike at three dozen US ports could upend supply chains and raise prices just weeks before Election Day. The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino.

Just as US policymakers shift focus from curbing inflation to shoring up the job market, the economy faces a jolt that threatens the kind of supply-chain disruption and consumer discontent rife during the pandemic.

Dock workers seeking better workplace protections and increased wages are threatening to strike and the outcome could lead to a banana shortage.

The first major strike in more than forty years to affect Louisiana's ports could begin as soon as next week and threatens to severely disrupt the supply chain from Texas

More than $2.4 billion worth of goods pass through New York and New Jersey's ports each week that are at risk with a possible dockworker strike next week.