Negotiations between the ILA and USMX resumed this week and appear to have brought an end to fears of a US Port strike, less than a week before it was due to commence.
The talks were widely considered to be the last hope of avoiding a strike across 36 US East and Gulf Coast ports and overnight reports suggest a ‘tentative’ agreement has been reached on all items for a new six-year master contract.
Both parties have agreed in principle to continue using the previous contract until the new agreement can be ratified through a vote by ILA members.
In October, workers agreed to return until January 15th on the understanding that all contract issues would be finalised and that now seems to be the case.
A joint statement from the two parties reads “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”
Killick Martin continue to monitor the situation, which is looking a whole lot better than it was at the beginning of the week.
