Rep. Michael Rowley, R-Ohio, reacts to tentative deal for port workers, and Tim Walz says he’s an “idiot” regarding his past Tiananmen Square claims. (Courtesy: CBS News)
the Workers union Representatives of about 45,000 U.S. dock workers reached a tentative agreement with port employers on Wednesday, averting a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports later this month.
In a joint statement, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced that they had reached agreement on a six-year master contract, giving the latter the ability to ratify the terms of the final contract.
“We are pleased to announce that ILA and USMX have reached an agreement in principle on a new six-year prime contract ILA-USMX, subject to ratification, thus avoiding any downtime on January 15, 2025,” the two sides said in a joint statement. statement. “This agreement protects existing ILA jobs and creates a framework to implement technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing our East and Gulf Coast ports – making them safer and more efficient and creating the capacity we need to keep our supply chains strong.”
Details of the tentative agreement will not be published in order to allow regular ILA members to review and approve the final document.
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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 01: The Port of Baltimore longshoremen with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) will be out of work on October 01, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Dock workers at 14 major ports on the East Coast and (Photo by Kevin Deitch/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“This is a win-win agreement that creates ILA jobs, supports American consumers and businesses, and keeps the American economy the main hub of the global market,” the two sides added.
The two parties signed an initial agreement in October – giving workers a 62% pay rise over six years – to end a three-day strike, but then left. Automation related issues Not resolved.
But the two sides were still deadlocked over automation, leading to the latest round of negotiations. If no agreement is reached and a second strike occurs, the wage agreement agreed in principle that ended the first strike will be taken off the table, and both sides will be back to square one.
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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 02: A container ship is docked in New York Harbor as it waits for the Port of Newark to reopen after members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, began walking off work yesterday at 12:01 a.m. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images/Getty Images)
President Biden He praised the deal on Wednesday evening.
“Collective bargaining plays an important role when it comes to building a strong economy from the middle out and from the bottom up,” he said. “Today’s tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Maritime Alliance of the United States shows that labor and management can come together for the benefit of workers and employers.”
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“I applaud the dockworkers union for delivering a strong contract,” Biden continued. “Our members have kept our ports open during the pandemic, as we worked together to untangle global supply chains. Thank you to the carriers and port operators who play an essential role in our country’s economy.”
FOX Business’ Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
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