Maritime Employers and the International Association of Dockworkers (ILA) have reached a preliminary agreement that will reopen container docks in ports in the East and Gulf of Mexico, and the wages of dock workers will increase by more than 60% after the exchange of a new wage plan. DOCK WORKERS WILL POSTPONE WORK UNDER A THREE-MONTH CONTRACT UNTIL A FORMAL AGREEMENT IS REACHED.
INFORMANT TOLD BUSINESS MAGAZINE, the breakthrough is expected to be officially announced on Thursday evening. The White House is scheduled to hold a briefing on the port strike on Friday morning. The ILA and the United States Maritime Union (USMX — the employers' organization representing maritime carriers and dock operators in dock contract negotiations) have yet to respond to requests for comment, and the port is expected to reopen on Friday.
USMX proposed a $4 per hour pay increase to ILA to restart negotiations, subject to ILA agreeing to extend the current contract until January 15, allowing the port to reopen while negotiations resume. ILA President Harold Daggett said again,Union members will not work in the event of contract extension, the proposal would mean a 62% increase in the top wage for dock workers.
The USMX presented their earlier proposal to Biden administration officials, but the union rejected the proposal on Monday, triggering the first strike in 47 years at ports along the eastern and Gulf of Mexico coasts. According to a presentation released last week during a meeting at the White House with USMX officials, employers are willing to pay ILA $3 per hour per year under the six-year contract, for a total hourly increase of $18 (46%) over the term of the contract.
USMX said in a final statement before the strike that its latest offer would “raise wages by nearly 50%,” but did not detail the specific amount. The quotation ratio USMX has improved on the $2.50 per hour (38%) increase proposed to the union in the first rebate, and willThe average salary of New York Harbor workers, including overtime and container usage fees, is $50 million per year and in New Jersey.
The quote terms also increase the starting salary of new ILA members from $20 per hour to $30 per hour, but based on record profits recorded by ocean carriers during the COVID-19 pandemic,Unions are seeking a $5 (77%) hourly wage increase.
