The International Longshoremen’s Association announced on Thursday that it will temporarily suspend a strike that had shut down key ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, following a more favorable wage proposal from port employers.
The strike, initiated by the dockworkers’ union on Tuesday, posed a potential threat to the economy just five weeks prior to national elections. The employers, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, have proposed a wage increase of 62 percent over the duration of a six-year contract. Although this figure falls short of the union’s initial demands, it is significantly higher than the previous offer from the alliance.
In an official statement, the union confirmed that a “tentative agreement on wages” had been reached, allowing its 45,000 members to resume work while extending the current contract through January 15. The union also indicated its intention to reconvene negotiations to address other pending issues. The alliance shared a similar sentiment in its statement.
This agreement emerged after the White House urged both parties to find a resolution to avoid the strike, which marked the union’s first extensive walkout since 1977. The proposed wage increase is seen as a significant achievement for the I.L.A. and its assertive president, Harold J. Daggett, who has held leadership since 2011 and comes from a lineage of dockworkers.