The union representing striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports reached a tentative deal Thursday night (Oct. 4) to suspend its strike until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract.
The International Longshoremen’s Association reached an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), a shipping industry group representing terminal operators and ocean carriers.
Dockworkers from Maine to Texas went on strike at midnight Oct. 1 in bid for higher pay and greater job security. The ports handle about 50% of the country’s ship cargo.
Tentative Deal
The two sides have “reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025, to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues,” the ILA and USMX said in joint statement Thursday evening announcing the agreement.
The statement added that “all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.”
Read more: Supply Chain Interruption as Dock Workers Strike at Critical Ports
Workers’ pay would go up by an estimated 62% over the life of the 6-year contract, sources told ABC News, bring the hourly wage for a top dockworker to $63 hourly, up from $39 per hour under the current expired contract.
USMX earlier this week had reportedly offered the union a 50% wage increase. The union had been pushing for a 77% pay hike over six years.