Early Tuesday morning dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on for more than a few weeks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike. The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977.

It is reported that the affected ports handle more than 68% of all containerized exports in the U.S. and roughly 56% of containerized imports, according to industry data. So even a short strike could cause...