Dockworkers at 36 ports, spanning from Maine to Texas, have returned to work today after a short strike earlier this week.
Both parties released a joint statement late Thursday, stating:
“The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until Jan. 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 three-day strike involving around 45,000 union members was put on hold after the union reportedly agreed to a 62% wage increase over six years. Initially, the union had pushed for a 77% increase, while USMX had previously offered 50%.
Both sides have agreed to resume negotiations to address other issues, such as retirement benefits and the use of automation at the ports.
Although President Joe Biden declined to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act, which would have mandated an 80-day cooling-off period requiring workers to return to their jobs, several administration officials are said to have worked behind the scenes with both parties to help reach a resolution.
A prolonged work stoppage would have caused significant disruptions for the trucking industry and other parts of the nation’s supply chain. Various organizations, including trucking associations, urged Biden to step in.
