Dockworkers' Strike Suspended As Tentative Agreement Reached

U.S. dockworkers were back on the job on Friday after a deal was reached to extend the current contract while a new agreement is finalized.

They went on strike on Tuesday but the work stoppage was suspended Thursday after a tentative agreement was reached by the two sides.

The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), which went on strike for the first time since 1977, has decided to resume working amid reports of a new labor contract with the U.S. Maritime Association (USMX).

The strike was suspended until until Jan. 15, 2025, as dockworkers agreed to a continuation of their latest contract until a new deal is approved, allowing time-sensitive shipments such as fresh fruits and vegetables, medications and other goods to be delivered.

"The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues," The ILA and USMX said in a joint statement.

The two-day-old strike was already started to show signs of problems for supply chains in the fragile U.S. economy. More than 45,000 workers at 36 ports on the East and Golf coasts left the docks silent as shipping containers went unloaded.

President Joe Biden said he supported the dockworkers' right to earn a "fair wage" but refused to get involved in the labor dispute despite the strike coming one month before the US election.