The union representing dock workers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, from Maine to Texas, and the shipping companies that depend on them have agreed to restart contract negotiations next month.
Earlier in the month, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. reached a preliminary agreement on wages and decided to extend the Master Contract until January 15. They plan to return to negotiations.
A statement Friday said the two sides will meet in New Jersey “where they will look to agree on terms for a new master contract proposal that can be presented to a full ILA Wage Scale Committee for approval, and later, to ILA Longshore workers for ratification.”
“The ILA and USMX welcome the opportunity to return to the bargaining table and get a new agreement in place as soon as possible,” they said in the statement.
Around 47,000 dock workers at East and Gulf Coast ports went on strike at midnight on October 1 but returned to work by October 3. This marked the union’s first major work stoppage in five decades.
The strike concluded with workers agreeing to a 62% wage increase over six years. Despite its brief duration, the strike disrupted the supply chain, impacting truckers as well. The American Trucking Associations criticized President Joe Biden for not invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, which would have enforced an 80-day cooling-off period and potentially prevented the strike.
