International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett pushed back against concerns on the impacts his labor union’s port strike could have on the U.S. economy, claiming people “never gave a s*** about us” until the strike started.

The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight.

A strike by the ILA union at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports puts billions in trade at risk. CNBC's Lori Ann Larocco reports on the key data points underpinning the potential economic fallout.