The strike at East and Gulf Coast ports ended Thursday, with cargo operations at several ports expected to resume.
The International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance announced the news in a joint statement Thursday night.
Per the statement, the two parties have agreed to a tentative deal on wages and to extend their master contract until Jan. 15. Both parties also agreed to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.
The agreements put an end to a three-day strike that began Tuesday and shut down operations at several ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, after negotiations had stalled due to automation and wage concerns.
Both parties had attempted to prevent a strike by trading counteroffers in the hours leading up to the disruption. But the union rejected USMX’s offer at the time, saying it “fell far short of what ILA rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.”
As the strike progressed, the Biden-Harris administration put pressure on USMX to offer a contract reflective of longshoremen's contributions, while making it clear the government would not intervene to stop the strike.
With a tentative deal on wages in place, cargo operations can now resume at union-operated ports. “Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” the ILA and USMX said in a joint statement.
Some ports have already announced reopening plans for Friday.
Port Houston will reopen at 1 p.m. CT and offer extended gate hours on Saturday. Georgia Ports Authority will open its truck gates at 6 a.m. ET at Garden City Terminal and 8 a.m. ET at its Ocean Terminal. Meanwhile, North Carolina Ports said normal operations will resume at 8 a.m. ET.
In recent statements, President Joe Biden, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg applauded both parties for reaching a tentative deal.
“As President Biden, Vice President Harris and this administration have said again and again, collective bargaining works," Su said in a statement Thursday. "I congratulate the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance for reaching a tentative agreement on a strong wage package that allows the East Coast and Gulf ports to reopen while the parties finish bargaining on a new contract."
Buttigieg said the Department of Transportation will work closely with supply chain stakeholders "to support an orderly process of returning these ports to service and to encourage a good outcome in the subsequent contract negotiations.”
