US port workers and operators reach deal to end East Coast strike immediately
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The dock workers' strike had shut down operations at 36 major ports on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - US dock workers and port operators have reached a tentative deal that will immediately end a crippling three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast
The tentative agreement is for a wage hike of around 62 per cent over six years, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. That would raise average wages to about US$63 (S$82) an hour from US$39 an hour over the life of the contract.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) workers union had been seeking a 77 per cent raise, while the employer group – United States Maritime Alliance – had previously raised its offer to a nearly 50 per cent hike.
The deal ends the biggest work stoppage of its kind in nearly half a century, which blocked unloading of container ships from Maine to Texas and threatened shortages of everything from bananas to auto parts, triggering a backlog of anchored ships outside major ports.
JP Morgan analysts have said the strike would cost the US economy around US$5 billion per day.
The union and the port operators said in a statement that they would extend their master contract until Jan 15, 2025, to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all outstanding issues.
Among key issues that remain unresolved is automation by container ship operators that workers say will lead to job losses.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has sided with the union, putting pressure on the port employers to raise their offer to secure a deal and citing the shipping industry’s bumper profits since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tentative deal “represents critical progress towards a strong contract”, Mr Biden said on Oct 3.
His administration has repeatedly resisted calls from business trade groups and Republican lawmakers to use federal powers to halt the strike – a move that would undermine Democratic support among unions ahead of the Nov 5 presidential election.
ILA launched the strike by 45,000 port workers, its first major work stoppage since 1977, on Oct 1 after talks for a new six-year contract broke down.
At least 45 container vessels that have been unable to unload goods were anchored outside the strike-hit East Coast and Gulf Coast ports by Oct 2, up from just three before the strike began on Sept 29, according to Everstream Analytics.
The strike affected 36 ports – including New York, Baltimore and Houston – that handle a range of containerised goods.
“The decision to end the current strike and allow the East and Gulf coast ports to reopen is good news for the nation’s economy,” the National Retail Federation said in a statement. “The sooner they reach a (final) deal, the better for all American families.”
Economists have said the port closures would not initially raise consumer prices because companies had accelerated shipments in recent months of key goods. However, a prolonged stoppage would have eventually filtered through, with food prices likely to react first, according to Morgan Stanley economists. REUTERS
