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ILA, USMX to Resume Talks Jan. 7, Reports

[ January 3, 2025   //   ]

The International Longshoremen’s Association, or ILA, and U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, will reportedly resume talks for a new master contract on Jan. 7, a little more than a week before a contract extension runs out on Jan. 15, according to a report by the Journal of Commerce.
The ILA and USMX declined to comment on the status of negotiations, which affect about 45,000 dockworkers along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts ports. However, the JOC said sources reported the Jan. 7 date.
Talks between the union and port and terminal employers stalled in mid-November over the inclusion of semi-automated equipment in the ports. The two sides extended the deadline as part of an agreement on wage increases struck following a three-day walkout in October.
The ILA has threatened to resume the strike Jan. 16 if negotiations fail to reach agreement by midnight Jan. 15, just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. Trump has publicly voiced support for the union.
The tentative agreement reached Oct. 3 included a more than 60 percent increase in wages, but the two sides agreed to postpone implementation until the two sides could resolve the automation and other issues.
Terminal operators contend that they are out of space to expand in most locations and must use new technologies to respond to the need to increase volumes. The current contract establishes a review committee that includes union representatives for any proposed semi or fully automated systems.
Major U.S. ports within ILA’s reach do not have automated systems for handling containers, which USMX says puts them at a disadvantage to other global ports which have embraced the technology. Ports on the U.S. West Coast which are under a different union have accepted some automation technologies.
The ILA contends the technology is a replacement for jobs and not needed to maintain productivity at the ports. In addition to container handling systems, it objected for example to an automated gate system deployed by APM Terminals in Mobile, Alabama, calling it a contract violation, according to reports.

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