USMX Ready to Resume Negotiations to Avoid Port Disruptions

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) has announced its readiness to return to Master Contract negotiations to prevent disruptions at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports.

The statement comes in response to warnings from the leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) that a strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports is becoming increasingly likely as time runs out to negotiate a new contract.

“We would like to reassure our customers and the public that there is forward movement toward resolution of the local issues that are currently being reported through the media,” USMX said in an update on Thursday. “To avoid any further disruption to the cargo flow and/or damage to our nation’s economy, USMX remains ready, willing, and able to return to the bargaining table with the ILA to resume Master Contract negotiations and to reach a new Master Contract agreement.”

With the current contract set to expire on September 30, 2024, ILA President and Chief Negotiator Harold J. Daggett expressed concerns over the slow progress in negotiations. He highlighted that employers represented by USMX are running out of time to reach a new Master Contract agreement, potentially setting the stage for a coastwide strike starting on October 1, 2024.

The USMX-ILA Master Contract, which was last ratified in September 2018, governs approximately 14,500 port workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and is due to expire at the end of September.

In early June, the ILA canceled scheduled negotiations with USMX after discovering that APM Terminals and Maersk Line were using an Auto Gate system that processes trucks autonomously, bypassing ILA labor. The ILA said this system, initially identified at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, is reportedly in use at other ports as well.

The ILA announced it would not meet with USMX until the Auto Gate issue is resolved and is awaiting an audit on jobs created by new technology. The union also raised concerns about the increasing number of IT personnel on marine terminals, accusing APM and Maersk’s IT departments of encroaching on their jurisdiction.

USMX’s statement said it is committed to keeping ongoing negotiations confidential and out of the press until bargaining is complete, as per their established process.

However, Daggett has stated that ILA members are ready to strike if their contract demands are not met by October 1, and maintains that the union will not extend the current contract or accept outside interference from agencies like the Biden Administration or the Department of Labor.

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