US dockworkers union to suspend strike after reaching tentative deal
Al Jazeera
US President Joe Biden welcomes agreement to end three-day strike, saying dockworkers ‘deserve a strong contract’.
US dockworkers and port operators have reached a tentative agreement that will end a three-day strike that shut down shipping on the east and Gulf coasts of the United States – and had threatened to incur billions of dollars in losses.
In a joint statement on Thursday evening, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance, said they had “reached a tentative agreement on wages”, without providing any details on what was agreed upon.
The two sides also agreed to extend their master contract until January 15 of next year in order “to return to the bargaining table” to negotiate other outstanding issues, they said.
“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” the statement read.
Early on Tuesday, 45,000 port workers went on strike after the union’s contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at ports from Maine to Texas.
