The union representing 45,000 U.S. dockworkers has agreed to suspend its strike until January 15, 2024, to allow time for further contract negotiations. The decision comes after a tentative agreement on wages has been reached. The dockworkers, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), had walked off the job early Tuesday (October 1) morning, disrupting operations at dozens of ports along the East and Gulf coasts.
The ILA, which represents dockworkers under the contract at issue, was seeking higher wages and a ban on the use of some automated equipment. The strike marked the union’s first coastwide strike in nearly 50 years. Following the strike, President Joe Biden called for a fair offer from the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), an organization bargaining on behalf of the dockworkers’ employers.
The union members are expected to return to work on Friday while the final details of the full agreement are worked out and ratified by the rank-and-file. However, if the members vote against the deal, the strike might resume. A prolonged work stoppage could have rekindled inflation for some goods and triggered layoffs at manufacturers as raw materials dried up, experts said.