Port strike averted

In early January, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) resumed negotiations to settle an unresolved issue from the October negotiations — port automation and robots. Another strike was a likely possibility if the union representing the 45,000 dockworkers did not reach a deal, which would have shut down the U.S. supply chain along the East Coast and into the Gulf. In October, a deal was reached to give the dockworkers a 62% bump in pay over 6 years.

On Jan. 8, ILA and USMX reached as agreement on all items for a new 6-year master labor contract covering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts, averting a second strike. The two sides agreed to extend the current contract until the ILA’s full Wage Scale Committee can schedule a ratification vote and USMX members can ratify the terms of the new contract, which was a positive development for agriculture, according to the U.S.… Continue reading