Workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association will return to their posts following the suspension of a widespread strike across the Eastern United States.
The strike ends after a tentative deal was reached between the dockworkers and the management group United States Maritime Alliance, suspending a action that had the potential to disrupt the U.S. economy. The dockworkers won a 62 percent wage increase over six years, shy of their ask of 77 percent, according to a report from the Washington Post.
Those raises will be doled out in $4-per-hour increases over the next six years.
“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the master contract will resume,” a statement from the parties read.
The strike, which began on Tuesday after dock workers said management stalled pay increases and refused to provide sufficient protections against automation, threatened to cripple the economy as key imports were set to be held up.
The agreement extended an existing contract until Jan. 15, giving dockworkers and the United States Maritime Alliance time to hammer out the details.
The success for dock laborers is yet another big win for unionized workers, who have notched a string of victories across the nation in recent years. Harold Daggett, the leader of the ILA, was prepared to play hardball, telling workers on a picket line on Tuesday night, “nothing’s gonna move without us.”
The strike’s hasty end is a relief for workers and American consumers alike, who could have faced shortages and price hikes on key products. The agreement also avoids a brewing political fight, as former President Donald Trump prepared to hit Vice President Kamala Harris on the potential economic fallout.
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