WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance of ports and shipping companies (USMX) have reached a tentative agreement for a six-year master contract, averting a potential strike across the country's ports, which would have damaged the American economy.
A six-year agreement on wages covering ILA port workers employed in container and roll-on/roll-off operations at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts was set to expire on January 15.
The two sides agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee and schedule a ratification vote, and USMX members can ratify 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, thus averting any work stoppage on January 15, 2025,' the two sides said in a joint statement Wednesday. '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.'
Details of the new tentative agreement will not be released to allow ILA rank-and-file-members and USMX members to review and approve the final document.
'Today's tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance shows that labor and management can come together to benefit workers and their employers,' President Joe Biden said in a statement.
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