Dockers on the East and Gulf coasts reached a tentative labor agreement with employers on Wednesday, averting a strike that could have crippled the economy days before President-elect Donald J. Trump.
The International Longshoremen’s Association, the longshoremen’s union, and the United Maritime Alliance, the employers’ bargaining group, have overcome their differences on a major sticking point in their talks: the introduction of automated cargo handling machines at ports.
“This agreement protects current ILA jobs and creates a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing Eastern and Gulf Coast ports,” the two sides said in a joint statement Wednesday night. .
After members of the International Longshoremen’s Association went on a brief strike in October, the shipping alliance agreed to raise wages by more than 60 percent over six years, provided that other parts of the labor agreement — including provisions on automation — had resolved by January 15.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
