A historic United States port strike has been suspended, sources told ABC News.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told ABC News that the two sides had reached a tentative agreement on wages and agreed to extend the master contract until Jan. 15. The sources said they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues.
Striking workers at the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn gather after members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, began walking off the job, Oct. 2, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Tens of thousands of U.S. dockworkers had walked off the job early Tuesday morning, clogging dozens of ports along the East and Gulf coasts.
International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members started to set up picket lines at shipping ports up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in the union’s first coastwide strike in nearly 50 years.
The ILA, the union representing 50,000 East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers under the contract at issue, was seeking higher wages and a ban on the use of some automated equipment.
“ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing,” the ILA told ABC News in a statement on Monday. “Meanwhile, ILA dedicated longshore workers continue to be crippled by inflation due to USMX’s unfair wage packages.”
Following the strike, President Joe Biden called for a fair offer from the U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, an organization bargaining on behalf of the dockworkers’ employers. In a statement released on Tuesday, Biden emphasized the strong profits enjoyed by shipping firms in recent years, as well as the sacrifices made by dockworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Striking workers at the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn gather after members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, began walking off the job, Oct. 2, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Amid the strike, USMX said Wednesday it remained “committed to bargaining in good faith to address the ILA’s demands and USMX’s concerns.”
A prolonged work stoppage of several weeks or months could have rekindled inflation for some goods and triggered layoffs at manufacturers as raw materials dried up, experts said.
The last time East Coast and Gulf Coast workers went on strike, in 1977, the work stoppage lasted seven weeks.
In 2002, a strike among workers at West Coast ports lasted 11 days before then-President George W. Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act and ended the standoff.
After weeks of negotiations and tense standoffs, sources are reporting that the dockworkers strike has been officially suspended. The strike, which began over a month ago, had caused major disruptions in shipping and logistics across the country.
The dockworkers, who are members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), had been demanding better working conditions, higher wages, and improved safety measures. The strike had led to delays in the transportation of goods and products, causing headaches for businesses and consumers alike.
However, after marathon negotiations between the ILWU and the shipping companies, a tentative agreement has been reached. Details of the agreement have not been disclosed yet, but sources say that both sides have made significant concessions in order to end the strike.
The suspension of the strike comes as a relief to many, as the disruptions caused by the strike were beginning to have a ripple effect on the economy. Businesses that rely on timely shipments of goods were feeling the impact, and consumers were starting to see shortages of certain products on store shelves.
While the exact terms of the agreement are still unknown, it is clear that both sides have come to a compromise in order to avoid further disruptions. The ILWU has stated that they are pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and are hopeful that this agreement will lead to better working conditions for their members.
Overall, the suspension of the dockworkers strike is welcome news for all parties involved. It is a testament to the power of negotiation and compromise in resolving labor disputes, and hopefully, this agreement will lead to a more stable and productive relationship between the ILWU and the shipping companies in the future.
