News out overnight is communicating that the ILA and USMX have come to a tentative agreement for a new 6-year deal which, if approved by each side’s constituents, would avert a work stoppage by ILA members at US east and gulf coast ports next week.
For the moment, the two sides will continue to operate under the current extension of the legacy agreement that originally expired at the end of September – it’s an extension of the extension. This provides time for the new agreement to be ratified.
A joint statement was released: “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 January 15, 2025. This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coast ports – making them safer and more efficient, and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong.“
Details of the tentative agreement have not yet been communicated but we expect to see some after each side’s members have reviewed and approved it. This is the positive news we were hoping for and we’re very happy to hear that work will continue as normal next week.
