ILA and USMX reach agreement through January 15

On Thursday evening, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced they had reached an agreement to extend their current labor agreement through January 15, 2025. The labor agreement between the parties expired on Monday, leading to a labor strike at East and Gulf Coast ports. Approximately 40% of all agricultural exports travel through the ports impacted by the strike. ILA has been seeking wage increases, benefit improvements, and protections against automation in the new labor agreement. On Thursday, it was reported that USMX offered to meet ILA’s wage requests, leading to a breakthrough that allowed the labor strike to cease. The parties will continue negotiations on other pending items as they work to finalize a new labor agreement.