ILA and USMX Reach Agreement on 62% Pay Increase After October Strike
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is poised to take steps toward ratifying a new contract with employers from East and Gulf Coast ports. Union leadership plans to hold meetings in the coming weeks with ILA wage scale delegates to discuss the tentative agreement reached with terminal operators and ocean carriers of the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), according to a source involved in the negotiations.
Once the delegates are expected to approve the agreement, a date will be set for union members to vote on the six-year master contract, which addresses pay and benefits for 25,000 dockworkers handling containers at ports from Texas to Boston.
On January 8, the parties averted a potential port strike by announcing a tentative agreement that allows employers to use semiautomated container cranes and other robotic equipment while providing job guarantees for union members.
The tentative agreement includes a significant 62% pay raise over the duration of the contract, a decision reached following a brief ILA strike in October. The extension of the existing contract was set to expire on January 15, but the ILA will continue operating under those terms until the new agreement is ratified. The USMX has not yet responded to requests for comments.
