International Longshoremen’s Association announces agreement for wage hike and immediate work resumption
Michael Sainato at The Guardian:
The US ports strike that shut down shipping on the east and Gulf coasts for three days came to an end on Thursday after dock workers struck a tentative deal with port operators. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) announced that the union had reached an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on wages, suspending their walkout until January. Work would resume immediately, the union said. The strike – which involved 45,000 workers across 36 ports, from Texas to Maine – was the first to hit the east and Gulf coast ports of the US since 1977. The tentative agreement is for a wage hike of around 62%, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Both sides said in a statement they would return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues. Concern had been mounting about the potential economic impact of the strike, and the threat of shortages. JP Morgan analysts estimated the walkout could cost the US economy as much as $5bn a day. After it emerged that the strike had ended, Joe Biden told reporters: “By the grace of God and goodwill of neighbors, it’s going to hold.”
“Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical progress towards a strong contract,” the US president said in a statement. “I want to thank the union workers, the carriers, and the port operators for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding. “Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.” Kamala Harris also praised the agreement, echoing Biden’s sentiment about the power of collective bargaining. “As I have said, this is about fairness – and our economy works best when workers share in record profits. Dockworkers deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America,” Harris said in a statement. Negotiations between ILA and USMX had broken down in June after the union accused USMX of violating the contract by introducing automation at some ports.
After three days of ports along the Gulf Coast and East Coast got shut down due to the ILA strike, dock workers have agreed to a tentative deal and suspend their walkout until January 15th, 2025, 5 days before the winner of the 2024 Presidential election will begin their term.
See Also:
AP, via NewsNation: Dockworkers’ union to suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract














