The short-lived strike by dockworkers that shut down East Coast ports came to an end late Wednesday when the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announced they had come to a tentative agreement on wages and an extension of the master contract.
The first ILA strike in five decades saw 45,000 union employees walk off the job and bring container and ro-ro handling to a halt at 36 ports across 14 major marine hubs from New England to Texas.
Rumors of a settlement swirled Thursday, just days after President Joe Biden scolded employers for not bargaining in good faith and urged a resumption to negotiations. The settlement clears a potential major issue for Democrats with the general election just weeks away.
The new deal, which sources close to the talks said came together quickly, provides a pay raise of 61%, or $4 per hour over the six years of the pact, and extends the master contract to Jan. 15, 2025, to allow the sides to negotiate outstanding issues.
In a joint statement, the sides said all current job actions will cease immediately and all work covered under the master contract will resume although the timeline for that was not specified.
“I want to applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. “Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical pro