Gulf Coast Dockworker Strike Ends Until January with 62% Raise
U.S. dockworkers will return to work after a three-day strike at East and Gulf Coast ports after the union and port operators reached a tentative deal on pay and extended the current contract to January 15, both sides said Thursday.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) had launched a work stoppage early Tuesday after negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents shipping companies and terminal operators, hit an impasse.
The strike – which involved 45,000 workers, according to the ILA – paralyzed 36 ports from Maine to Texas, which handle an array of goods from food to electronics.
But Thursday evening, the two sides announced in a joint statement that they had “reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.
“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.”
The statement did not offer terms of the deal, but The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the matter, said USMX had proposed a 62% salary increase over six years, which allowed the deal to be reached.
Source: IndustryWeek.com