ILA and USMX to Resume Port Contract Discussions in November

In a joint statement, the leadership of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) today announced that they will resume Master
Contract discussions in November 2024, to discuss all outstanding issues to reach a new agreement. Earlier this month, the two sides extended the Master Contract until January 15, 2025, and reached a tentative agreement on wages that is contingent on bargaining all open issues.

The respective negotiating committees will meet in New Jersey, where they will look to agree on terms for a new Master Contract Proposal that can be presented to the full ILA Wage Scale Committee for approval, and later, to ILA Longshore workers for ratification.

“The ILA and USMX welcome the opportunity to return to the bargaining table and get a new agreement in place as soon as possible,” they said.

The two sides held a three-day strike in September- the first by the ILA since 1977, and it impacted operations at 14 different ports.

ILA’s strike was the first by the ILA since 1977, and it impacted operations at 14 different ports.

The ILA’s main issue continues to be port automation, highlighted in several ILA statements throughout 2024.