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Wage increases and automation protections:
ILA agrees on six-year contract
Excerpted from workboat.com, February 27, 2025 By Chuck Chiang
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The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has ratified a new six-year master contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), securing labor stability at Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports through September 2030. With nearly 99% of members voting in favor, ILA noted the contract includes record wage increases and safeguards against automation.
The extension to the master contract will be effective Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2030, ILA said in a Feb. 25 press release. ILA president Harold Daggett, who served as the union’s chief negotiator, called the contract the strongest in the organization’s history.
“It was a tough contract to negotiate,” Daggett said. “But the ILA stayed strong and unified, successfully winning the greatest contract in ILA history and maybe the strongest collective bargaining agreement ever negotiated by any union.”
The contract includes a 62% wage increase, accelerated raises for new ILA workers, and full container royalty funds returned to the union. Additional benefits include increased contributions to retirement plans, strengthened healthcare provisions under the MILA National Health Plan program, and a resolution to the vacation and holiday dispute.
A key component of the agreement is its firm stance against automation, ensuring job security for dockworkers. The ILA had identified automation as a major threat to its members and successfully negotiated full protections against job-displacing technology.
Daggett credited former U.S. President Donald Trump for his involvement in the negotiations. A December 2024 meeting at Mar-A-Lago between Trump and ILA leadership helped solidify the union’s stance against automation, providing momentum for the final agreement.
The ILA also acknowledged USMX lead negotiator Paul DeMaria for his role in reaching a settlement and avoiding a second strike. “Paul was uniquely qualified to move negotiations in the right direction,” Daggett said.
With the contract now ratified, the ILA statement noted the association now aims to strengthen their partnership with USMX, which it said would promote growth at ILA ports and expand the union’s influence among dockworker organizations globally. The formal signing of the contract is scheduled for March 11, 2025.
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