Dockworkers’ Union, U.S. Maritime Alliance Avoid Port Strike

Last week, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), a labor union representing dockworkers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), a group of ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement for a six-year contract for port employees. The announcement came just one week before the ILA was set to strike. (The strike would have shut down ports along the East and Gulf coasts and would have started to damage the economy if it lasted much more than a week, economists estimated.)

As Supply Chain Dive explained, the ILA and USMX declined to release specific details about the agreement in order to allow union and USMX members time to review and approve the final document. In a statement, the two parties said, “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 deal must now be ratified by both ILA and USMX members. The two parties will operate under their current contract until those ratifications can happen.

As readers may recall, last October, a three-day work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports was resolved temporarily until Jan. 15, 2025 with a tentative labor agreement between the ILA and USMX.