LYNDHURST, NEW JERSEY, US — The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement on all issues for a new six-year labor contract that covers 45,000 dockworkers at 36 ports in the United States along the East and Gulf Coast.
In a joint statement on Jan. 8, the ILA and USMX said they agreed to operate under the existing contract until the new one is ratified. Additional details about the agreement were not provided so members of ILA and USMX would be able to review the final document prior to an approval vote.
The union went on strike Oct. 1 after its contract expired on Sept. 30 in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports stretching from Maine to Texas. After reaching a tentative agreement on wages Oct. 3, the union suspended its strike until Jan. 15 to address outstanding issues.
Though non-containerized bulk export shipments, including grains, would have been unaffected by this strike, agricultural groups have noted that about 40% of US containerized agricultural exports move through these ports and estimated that $1.4 billion a week in agricultural trade would have been at risk. Vital feed inputs, such as vitamins and amino acids, also are imported through these ports.
“This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coast ports — making them safer and more efficient and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong,” the ILA and USMX said.
