The United States Maritime Alliance announced on Wednesday that a tentative agreement has been reached on a new six-year master contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). The USMX, representing ship lines and port and terminal operators, and the ILA, a union with 50,000 members across 14 port authorities from Maine to Texas, jointly confirmed the agreement. However, the deal is subject to ratification by the union’s membership.
Without this agreement, port workers were scheduled to go on strike on January 16. The joint statement released by both parties expressed satisfaction with the tentative agreement, highlighting its focus on protecting current ILA jobs and introducing technologies to create more jobs, enhance safety, efficiency, and capacity at East and Gulf coast ports.
