Unionized port workers and operators of US east and Gulf coast ports and terminals have reached a tentative agreement on a new work contract, averting a strike that would have started next week.
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) said the new six-year contract still needs to be reviewed and approved by members of both sides before it will be ratified. They have agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the agreement is finalized.
"This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports — making them safer and more efficient and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong," the ILA and USMX said in a joint statement.
Details of the agreement will not be released until after members have had time review and approve the deal, ILA and USMX said.
The current contract was set to expire on 15 January after the parties struck a temporary agreement to end a three-day port strike in October 2024.
