On Wednesday, tens of thousands of dockworkers tentatively agreed to a new six-year contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which covers 14 major ports along the Gulf Coast from Mobile, Alabama, to Houston, and from Boston to Miami.
The tentative agreement, according to both parties, will prevent an impending strike on January 15 at midnight. A news release from the parties stated, “We are happy to announce that ILA and USMX have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year ILA-USMX Master Contract, subject to ratification, thus averting any work stoppage.”
In addition to modernizing ports on the East and Gulf coasts to make them safer and more effective and to build the capacity they require to maintain the strength of our supply networks, this agreement safeguards existing ILA jobs and creates a framework for introducing technology that will generate additional jobs.”
Automation was the main area of contention in negotiations between the Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association. Harold Daggettre, the president of the ILA, consistently assured dockworkers that automation and semi-automated terminals would not be used. “I’m going to save everybody’s job when it comes to the ILA. … I’ll shut them down throughout the world.”
The Maritime Alliance has stated that it has no intention of replacing workers with automation.
In order to improve worker safety, boost efficiency in a way that preserves and expands jobs, maintain robust supply chains, and boost capacity—all of which will financially benefit American firms and workers—we need to continue modernizing,” it stated in November.
After months of back and forth between the ports and the workers, the provisional agreement has been reached.At least 14 East Coast ports closed for days in September, leaving billions of dollars’ worth of products stranded. Last year, J.P. Morgan estimated that a strike might have had a weekly impact on the U.S. economy of up to $4.5 billion.
According to the union, information on the deal won’t be made public until rank-and-file employees have had a chance to study it.
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