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1/9/2025
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) yesterday announced they've reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year master contract.
The two sides agreed to to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee and schedule a ratification vote, and USMX members can ratify the terms of the final contract, according to a joint statement issued by both organizations.
The tentative agreement puts an end to the ILA's threat to stage a work stoppage at East and Gulf coast ports as soon as Jan. 15.
“We are pleased 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 on Jan. 15,” the two sides said in the joint statement. “This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports — making them safer and more efficient, and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong."
Details of the new tentative agreement will not be released to allow ILA rank-and-file-members and USMX members to review and approve the final document, according to the joint statement.
On Oct. 3, 2024, the parties announced they had reached a tentative agreement on wages and would extend the master contract until Jan. 15, 2025, to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. That agreement followed the ILA's three-day work stoppage at the ports.
The most recent 6-year agreement covering ILA port workers employed in container and roll-on/roll-off operations at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts ran from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2024.