The Dockworkers Union, the employers avoided a strike after reaching an unfinished contract
Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, reacts to the port workers’ small agreement and Tim Walz says he is ‘hard-headed’ about his previous Tiananmen Square claims. (Courtesy: CBS News)
The labor union representing about 45,000 US dock workers reached a tentative agreement with dock employers on Wednesday, averting a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports later this month.
In a joint statement, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced that they had reached an agreement on a six-year General Contract, giving the latter the power to confirm the terms of the final contract.
“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, thereby avoiding any work stoppage by January 15, 2025,” the two sides said jointly. statement. “This agreement protects ILA’s current operations and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while improving ports on the East and Gulf coasts – making them safer and more efficient and creating the energy they need to keep our supply chains strong.”
Details of the proposed agreement will not be released to allow ILA rank and file members to review and approve the final document.
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 01: The Port of Baltimore is seen as longshoremen and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walk off the job on October 01, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Ship crews at 14 major ports on the East Coast and (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“This is a win-win agreement that creates jobs in the ILA, supports American consumers and businesses, and keeps the American economy a vital center of the world market,” the two sides added.
The two sides signed a tentative deal in October – which gave workers a 62% pay rise over six years – to end the three-day strike, but left issues related to plant turnover unresolved.
But the two sides have been at odds with each other leading to the latest round of talks. If no agreement is reached and a second strike occurs, the agreed-upon wage agreement ending the first strike will be taken off the table, and both parties will return to square one.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 02: A container ship sits in New York Harbor as it waits for the Port of Newark to reopen after members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, began walking off the job yesterday at 12:01 am (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images/Getty Images)
President Biden applauded the deal Wednesday evening.
“Collective negotiation plays a major role when it comes to building a strong economy from the middle to the bottom to the top,” he said. “Today’s landmark agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance shows that labor and management can come together for the benefit of workers and their employers.”
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“I applaud the port workers’ union for delivering a strong contract,” continued Biden. “Their members have kept our ports open during this pandemic, as we work together to remove chains around the world.
Breck Dumas of FOX Business contributed to this report.
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