Master contract discussions to resume in November for U.S. port workers

In a joint statement, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) said they will resume master contract discussions in November to discuss all outstanding issues to reach a new agreement.

The two sides released the statement Oct. 3, saying they had reached an agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the master contract until Jan. 15, 2025, and will 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 Oct. 3 statement read.

The ILA shut down all ports from Maine to Texas at 12:01a.m. Oct. 1, as ILA rank-and-file members began setting up picket lines at waterfront facilities up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

The ILA rejected a USMX proposal from Sept. 30, setting the stage for the first ILA coast wide strike in almost 50 years.

The respective negotiating committees will meet in New Jersey, where they will look to agree on terms for a new master contract proposal that can be presented to the full ILA Wage Scale Committee for approval, and later, to ILA Longshore workers for ratification.

“The ILA and USMX welcome the opportunity to return to the bargaining table and get a new agreement in place as soon as possible,” the Oct. 25 statement said.

The two sides said they will not discuss details of negotiations with the media prior to these meetings.