The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) 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. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease, and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.
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 October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2024.
The United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX), in Master Contract bargaining with the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO (ILA), represents employers of the maritime industry (in the ports from Maine to Texas) who are responsible for the transportation and handling of cargo shipped to and from the United States.
On October 3, 2024, USMX and the ILA reached a tentative agreement on wages and will extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025, to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.
In an email, Mike Steenhoek, Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, said “Of all the occupations in the world, farmers are among those who experience the highest degree of unpredictability and uncertainty. Despite these challenges, farmers show a remarkable ability to predictably and reliably provide food for U.S. and international customers. It is therefore not unreasonable to insist that port workers and port operators provide a similar degree of reliability to agriculture and the many industries that depend upon them.”
“We sincerely hope a lasting agreement can be achieved by January 15th that benefits both parties. We continue to not pick sides between the ILA and the USMX, but we most certainly are on the side of the American farmer,” according to Steenhoek.
“Having a reliable system of ports is clearly in the best interest of the American farmer.”
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