THE International Longshoremen's Association's (ILA) 14,500 dockers working the US Atlantic and Gulf coast ports have ratified by an overwhelming majority.
ILA east coast dockers ratify contract, employers to vote on April 17
THE International Longshoremen's Association's (ILA) 14,500 dockers working the US Atlantic and Gulf coast ports have ratified by an overwhelming majority a new Master Contract with the waterfront direct employers.
Members of the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), the employers group, will vote on whether to ratify the Master Contract on April 17.
The agreement reached over a new six-year master contract that ends more than a year of negotiations between employers and the ILA that stretched beyond the original contract deadline of September 30, removing the risk of strikes and lockouts.
"On behalf of ILA members and officers at all ports, we're thrilled this master contract was ratified by an overwhelming margin," said ILA president Harold Daggett.
"We all worked very hard, achieved landmark improvements and protected our members and our union for many years."
The new Master Contract grants ILA members wage increases totalling US$3 an hour which they will receive over the course of the agreement, and will raise their hourly rate of pay to $35 by the final year of the new contract.
Lower-tiered workers will receive a higher salary increase because their pay progression scale was reduced to six years from nine. This means the base pay of a new ILA member earning $20 an hour will rise to $35 an hour by the end of the sixth year.
With regard to job protection, the outsourcing or subcontracting of ILA jobs to non-ILA employers will be restricted.
The remaining ILA members to ratify the Master Contract are based at the ports of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Hampton Roads. However, they are expected to complete negotiations of their local agreements early next week.
