ILA locals overwhelmingly approve contract extension

Union says the deal will “bring generous pay increases, landmark protections against job-killing fully automated ports and labor peace and stability.”    The International Longshoremen’s Association said that members at ports from Maine to Texas on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a six-year extension of its contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).
   The union said the deal will “bring generous pay increases, landmark protections against job-killing fully automated ports and labor peace and stability through September 30, 2024.”
   ILA President Harold J. Daggett, the union’s chief negotiator who termed this agreement the best contract he ever witnessed in his 50-plus-year ILA career, applauded the successful ratification vote.
   As of 10 p.m. Thursday, every ILA local reporting results to the ILA offices in North Bergen, N.J., approved the master contract, with unanimous approval likely of all ILA locals.
   “ILA members covered under this ILA-USMX master agreement can now look to a bright future where their salaries will increase and the threat of job loss from fully automated terminals, semiautomated terminals and automated equipment is eliminated,” Daggett said.
  The current ILA master contract was set to expire at the end of September.