October 4, 2024- The Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance have agreed to a tentative deal on wages, ending the port strike that has been ongoing since Tuesday of this week, according to CNBC. The existing contract between the organizations has been extended through January 15 to provide time to negotiate a new one. The strike was the first by the ILA since 1977, and it impacted operations at 14 different ports.
“The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues,” The ILA and the the USMX said in a joint statement, according to CNBC.
The strike had already started to impact the U.S. supply chain during the week, with thousands of containers being brought to the wrong ports, and billions of dollars worth of goods were anchored offshore because ports were not operational, according to CNBC.
ILA wages will increase 61.5% over six years under the tentative agreement, according to CNBC. A central conflict over port automation is still under negotiation.