Dock Workers Agree to New Contract Eliminating Strike Concerns

The International Longshoremen’s Association agreed to a new labor contract, ending 11 months of negotiations and eliminating the risk of the first Eastern port shutdown since 1977.

The union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents container-carrier companies, struck a tentative agreement. A dispute over the payouts drove the union to the brink of a strike in December before federal mediators secured an extension of talks and a tentative agreement on the fees.