US east coast dock strike at risk as ILA, USMX extend talks a week
THE US Maritime Alliance (USMX), the east coast waterfront employers bargaining unit, and the International Longshoremen's Association have agreed to extend negotiations on local issues to March 8 after the March 1 deadline passes.
They said the extended deadline will coincide with the wage scale meetings planned by the union for the week of March 11, reported American Shipper.
The two parties have already reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract, covering 14,500 dockers who handle containerised cargoes in 14 US east and Gulf coast ports, but local issues - low-show and no-show jobs - remain in contention.