Laura Curtis at Bloomberg reports Unionized Dockworkers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), who brought half of the U.S. Container Trade to a halt last October have voted to ratify a new contract with their port and ocean carrier employers. Nearly 99% of Workers backed the contract, ILA President Harold Daggett said: “We now have labor peace for the next six years.” The ILA-USMX accord is good news for importers, retailers and consumers on edge from the uncertainty surrounding the Trump Administration’s trade policies and tariffs. The ILA walked out of every major container port from Houston to Boston when their previous contract with U.S. Maritime Alliance - representing port operators, terminal operators and ocean carriers, expired on October 1st. Under intense pressure from the Biden Administration, the ILA agreed to suspend the Strike for three months in exchange for a 62% raise over the next six-year contract.  Though the Strike lasted three days, the closure halted the flow of about half of the country’s Containerized Trade, causing dozens of ships to back up and a supply chain seizure that took weeks to fully unwind. 

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Dockworker Union Ratifies Six-Year Contract at Eastern US Ports