Washington.- The union representing 45,000 striking port workers in US ports on the East Coast and the Gulf reached an agreement to suspend their strike until January 15, in order to have time to negotiate a new contract, said a person informed about the matter.
The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, will resume work immediately, at least until January, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not yet been signed.
The agreement will allow the union and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents shippers and ports, time to negotiate a new six-year contract. The source also said both sides reached an agreement on salary increases, but details were not released. The union went on strike Tuesday morning after its contract expired in a dispute over wages and the automation of tasks at ports from Maine to Texas.
The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half the cargo of ships entering and leaving the United States.
The strike increased the risk of product shortages on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks, but most retailers had stocked or shipped items ahead of time in anticipation of the work stoppage.
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