It’s on.

Baltimore dockworkers are on strike after months of anticipation and last-minute negotiations failed to result in a contract.

The longshoremen’s union gathered in the early morning hours outside the Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore — and at ports across the East Coast and Gulf Coast — to picket.

The strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday after the current six-year contract expired. The shipping companies and operators are represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, or USMX.

More than 100 people picketed along Broening Highway outside the marine terminals at the Port of Baltimore, calling for higher wages and to stop automation at the ports. They wore neon yellow and orange work vests and held signs saying “Machines don’t feed families” and “No work without a fair contract.”

Energy remained high among the picketers as day broke. Maryland transportation police were on scene early Tuesday morning as longshoremen continued to circle the entrance in the rain while holding signs demanding a fair contract.

Some declined umbrellas being handed out despite a steady rain. One longshoreman skipped through puddles as he marched.

A man with a bullhorn shouted “we want to work, we just want fair wages.”

”Shut it down,” others chanted.

It’s the first time in nearly 50 years that East Coast longshoremen have been on strike. Every port from Texas to Maine is affected. The Port of Baltimore is a mixture of privately and publicly owned marine terminals along the Patapsco River and has roughly 2,000 union dockworkers.

Baltimore’s port is one of the nation’s busiest, and the longshoremen play a critical role in the import and export of cars, farm machinery, consumer goods and much more.

Without the longshoremen to load and unload goods, other work at the port will grind to a halt. Some companies have already been routing goods to West Coast ports ahead of a potential East Coast strike.

For the average Baltimorean, there are few if any signs of the port strike Tuesday morning. But the longer a strike persists, the more likely it is to disrupt industries like warehousing, trucking, groceries and restaurants before rippling out into the broader economy of Baltimore.

Picketers at the Dundalk terminal just after midnight marched in front of the port entrance.

Looming in the background were the massive Panamax cranes used by the longshoremen to load and unload cargo containers from the world’s biggest ships. Those walking the picket line in the darkness took part in a call and response.

”What are we gonna do?“ someone yelled.

”Shut ‘em down,” workers responded.

”Who are we?“

“ILA.“

“Union!“

”Power!”

Most cars and trucks that drove by the picket line honked their horns or played music. One driver tried to cross the picket line and drive into the port. Nearly every longshoremen approached the car. The crowd swelled. They blocked the entrance and yelled. After a minute or so, the driver left, the crowd cheered and the picket line resumed.

Later, a dumpster truck struck a longshoreman while attempting to cross the picket line.

The longshoreman was taken by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment around 3:30 a.m., said Scott Cowan, president for the ILA Local 333 representing Baltimore.

The dumpster truck driver shouted profanities at the picketing workers. He was ultimately unable to cross the picket, Cowan said. It was not immediately clear what happened to the driver.

Just after 8 a.m., a truck and pickup crossed the picket line. Workers swarmed the vehicles as they passed.

The strike in Baltimore mirrored those at ports along the East Coast, as dockworkers began walking picket lines over wages and automation. It comes about four months after the Port of Baltimore fully reopened in the wake of the Key Bridge collapse, and five weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

The Associated Press reported that workers went on strike even though progress was reported in talks Monday. The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977.

On Monday evening, the U.S. Maritime Alliance said it had increased its offer to 50% raises over six years, and it pledged to keep limits on automation in place from the old contract, the AP reported. The union wants a complete ban on automation. It wasn’t clear just how far apart both sides are.

The union didn’t answer requests for comment on the talks Monday night, but said earlier in the day that the ports had refused demands for a fair contract and the alliance seemed intent on a strike, according to the AP. The two sides had not held formal negotiations since June.

Over the past few years, the international shipping industry has boomed, but the union says those profits have largely gone to the corporations — not the workers — and have done little to lower prices for consumers.

Union officials say any automation of ports will not lower prices for consumers, but simply lead to more profits for these international shipping companies.

The ILA has three local organizations operating in the Port of Baltimore. The largest, Local 333, has about 1,850 members.

On Thursday, USMX filed an unfair labor practice complaint with regulators and asked the federal government to order the ILA back to negotiations.