Dockworkers union to suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
Oct 3, 2024, 6:17 PM
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
DETROIT (AP) — The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.
The dockworkers union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, also reached a tentative agreement on wage increases. However, no details were given, according to a joint statement from the ports and the union Thursday night.
A person briefed on the dockworkers agreement said the ports raised the dockworkers’ wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.
The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired. The dispute involved pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.