US dockworkers' strike averted, union thanks Donald Trump
09 Jan 2025
by Jamey Bergman
International Longshoremen’s Association says full deal, pending union vote, tentatively agreed to avert the restart of strikes at major US ports
Representatives for unionised US dockworkers have reached a tentative agreement on a contract dispute with ports and business interests on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast that will stop union workers from reopening a strike action that shut down shipping operations for three days in October 2024.
The International Longshoremen’s Association said it had reached "tentative agreement on all items for a new, six-year Master Contract" for its representatives with employer the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).
Details of the agreement are being withheld to allow ILA members to review the terms and approve the document in a ratification vote.
“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, thus averting any work stoppage on 15 January 2025,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
“This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernising East and Gulf coast ports – making them safer and more efficient, and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong. This is a win-win agreement that creates ILA jobs, supports American consumers and businesses, and keeps the American economy the key hub of the global marketplace.”
An initial tentative deal in October between the ILA and USMX reached agreement on improvements in wages for workers that will surpass 60% over six years. The tentative deal allowed work in the ports to resume for 100 days while negotiations on other contract points continued.
Contractual elements that remained on the negotiating table included the role of automation in ports. With details yet to be revealed, ILA president Harold Daggett said a face-to-face meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on 12 December was the "chief reason the ILA was able to win protections against automation" for its 85,000-member workforce.
“You have proven yourself to be one of the best friends of working men and women in the United States," the ILA president told President-elect Trump in a statement. President-elect Trump will be sworn in as the 47th US President after serving as the 45th US President from 2016-2020.
“President Trump clearly demonstrated his unwavering support for our ILA union and longshore workers with his statement “heard round the world”backing our position to protect American longshore jobs against the ravages of automated terminals. President Trump’s bold stance helped prevent a second coast-wide strike at ports from Maine to Texas that would have occurred on 15 January 2024, if a tentative agreement was not reached,” Mr Daggett said.
Major container carrier Maersk had already warned its customers on 30 December to expedite collection and return of containers to US East and Gulf Coast ports as a "proactive measure" to mitigate potential disruptions.
https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/copy-of-ila-on-strike-across-major-us-ports-83491