Parties will continue to negotiate outstanding details.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) agreed late Thursday to extend its contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).
“The union that represents tens of thousands of East Coast dockworkers and the shipping industry reached a tentative agreement on wages and are extending an expired contract through Jan. 15, 2025,” their joint statement announced. “Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.”
Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association began their strike on October 1 when the contract with port employers expired at midnight. With over 45,000 workers across dozens of ports no longer working, container vessels began backing up.
The White House announced that the administration would not invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to require dock workers on strike against port employers to return to work. The administration was instead pressuring port employers to negotiate a new contract that increases pay for the 45,000 dockworkers.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, “[Port employers] made incredible profits, over 800% profit since the pandemic, and the owners are making tens of millions of dollars from this. It’s time for them to sit at the table and get this strike done.”
The agreement averts significant supply chain disruptions as the union covers the East and Gulf ports, which receive roughly half of the good imported into the U.S.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president, vice president, and administration officials to seek God’s direction regarding the national supply chain and the economy.
- With gratitude to the Lord for the agreement that will allow imported goods to be received into the nation.
Sources: Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Daily Caller, Reuters