U.S. port strike ends, as ILA and USMX reach tentative deal

In a joint statement, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced they have reached a tentative agreement, putting port employees back to work.

The two sides released the statement late afternoon on Thursday, 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 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 made on Sept. 30, setting the stage for the first ILA coast wide strike in almost 50 years.