ILA

While 2023 marked the overdue conclusion of a new West Coast port labor agreement between the International Longshore Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, an East Coast labor agreement awaits to be completed in 2024, by the end of September, between the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).

The largest union of maritime workers in North America, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, came to terms on a tentative agreement on new six-year contract, the parties announced yesterday that the new contract is now official.

Port labor accord is back with yesterday’s news that the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, have come to a tentative agreement on new six-year contract.

While the PMA-ILWU dispute was settled last spring, a new port-related labor issue popped up on the East Coast last week, when a labor dispute on Friday, January 29 occurred when union members of the International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, walked off the docks at the Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest East Coast port and second largest U.S. port.

ILA membership signs off on six-year Master Contract with USMX.

The terms were previously not available, but on March 19 ILA President Harold J. Daggett penned a letter to all ILA members covered by the Master Contract, with details on the new six-year contract from October 1, 2012-September 30, 2018.

A little more than one month after coming to terms on a tentative agreement on a new labor contract, which was preceded by months of difficult negotiations, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, have officially approved the agreement for a successor Master Agreement, according to the Federal...

Following months of acrimonious negotiations, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract.

Time is running out for ILA-USMX labor contract negotiations.

Even though negotiations between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, occurred this week, details of what was discussed remain scant.

With a December 29 deadline looming in Master Contract labor negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the largest union of maritime workers in North America, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving United States-based East and Gulf Coasts, the United States Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) said that the concerns were at the negotiating table this week.

The parties are making good progress on a number of difficult issues at the full committee and subcommittee levels, according to FMCS.

With yesterday’s news that the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have achieved a détente of sorts in their ongoing labor negotiations, having reached a 90-day extension through December 29, with help from the United States Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, this development provides hope that an actual labor strike can be averted altogether.

The prospect of a strike at United States East and Gulf Coast-based ports, which was widely expected in freight transportation logistics circles in recent weeks at the end of September, is on hold—for now, at least.

United States Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) Director George H. Cohen said that upon the FMCS’s request ILA and USMX “have agreed to resume negotiations under our auspices during the week of September 17, 2012.”