The International Longshoremen’s Association members will vote on a new master contract covering East and Gulf Coast ports on Feb. 25, according to a statement from the union.
The ILA said its wage scale committee on Friday unanimously approved the tentative six-year agreement the union reached with the United States Maritime Alliance in early January, enabling a move toward a ratification vote.
In a video, union officials explained general details of the tentative ILA-USMX contract, which will be available for local union chapters to view prior to the ratification vote. According to ILA EVP Dennis Daggett, some of the agreements made in the contract include:
- There will be no fully automated — defined as devoid of human interaction — terminals and no fully automated equipment during the term of the agreement.
- Port operators must now engage with the ILA much earlier before purchasing any software, hardware or equipment to discuss potential impacts and negotiate an agreement.
- No new technology will be implemented until the parties mutually agree to related manning levels and workforce protections as part of a more stringent technology review process, according to Daggett. However, there will be no reduction in manning or hours due to the implementation of the technology.
The ILA and the USMX reached the new contract agreement months after a three-day strike disrupted port operations in October. The strike ended when the parties agreed to a tentative deal that extended the expiration date of their previous master contract agreement to Jan. 15.
