By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-03 23:19:15 | Updated at 2024-10-04 01:26:26
2 hours ago
US dockworkers and port operators have reached a tentative deal that will immediately end a three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the US East Coast and Gulf coast, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) said on Thursday.
The tentative agreement is for a wage hike of around 62 per cent over six years, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The workers union had been seeking a 77 per cent raise while the employer group previously raised its offer to a nearly 50 per cent hike.
Both sides said in a statement that they would extend their master contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues.
“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the master contract will resume,” the statement said.
At least 45 container vessels that have been unable to unload were anchored outside the strike-hit East Coast and Gulf coast ports by Wednesday, up from just three before the strike began on Sunday, according to Everstream Analytics.
