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The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance have reached a tentative labor agreement on a new six-year master contract
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The agreement averts any work stoppage on January 15, 2025, when the previous agreement expires
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The agreement is subject to ratification by both sides
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a tentative labor agreement on a new six-year contract, averting a port strike on January 15, 2025, when the previous contract expires.
The agreement is still subject to ratification by both sides. The union’s full Wage Scale Committee would have to meet only then can USMX members ratify the terms of the final contract.
A strike would have shut down ports from Maine to Texas.
In a joint statement, the two sides said: “We are pleased to announce that ILA and USMX have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year ILA-USMX Master Contract, subject to ratification, thus averting any work stoppage on January 15, 2025.”
The statement added that the agreement protects ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that creates more jobs. This, while modernizing East and Gulf coast ports, making them safer and more efficient. It also creates the capacity needed to keep supply chains strong.
Both sides also said the contract “is a win-win agreement that creates ILA jobs, supports American consumers and businesses, and keeps the American economy the key hub of the global marketplace.”
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said: “Collective bargaining plays an important role when it comes to building a strong economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Today’s tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance shows that labor and management can come together to benefit workers and their employers.”
Biden applauded “the dockworkers’ union for delivering a strong contract. Their members kept our ports open during the pandemic, as we worked together to unsnarl global supply chains. Thank you to the carriers and port operators who play an essential role in our nation’s economy.”
No details of the new tentative agreement have been released. This is to allow ILA rank-and-file members and USMX members to review and approve the final document.
But in early October, ILA and USMX agreed a tentative deal on a 62% hike in wages over six years after a three-day strike that paralyzed ports on the US East Coast.
To recall, the ILA had walked away from official negotiations after two and a half days in mid-November. The organization cited the insistence of employers to introduce semi-automation.
The ILA has long insisted that it would not accept any form of automation of jobs done by its members.
Meanwhile, shipping lines were not too confident of an agreement being reached before the deadline. Major carriers had even announced of surcharges in the event labor disruptions took place after Jan. 15.
READ: Shipping lines adjust services as US dockworkers go on strike
US media had reported earlier that secret discussions were held by the two sides, ahead of the resumption of official negotiations.
Harold Dagget, ILA president, credited president-elect Donald Trump’s support in forging the new agreement.
He said Trump was the “chief reason” the ILA was able to win protection against automation for their 85,000 members and negotiate the tentative Master Contract Agreement.
Dagget met with Trump on Dec. 12, 2024.
