ILA CONTRACT RENEWAL OBJECTIVES
In a recent letter to ILA members, ILA leadership outlined the current contract negotiations with the USMX. The letter further explains that ILA leadership chose not to sign USMX’s contract offer that included a 61% wage increase due to a no-strike clause in the contract that would have limited the union’s ability to take labor action while negotiating unresolved contract issues, including job security, work jurisdiction, and healthcare benefits.
A summary of the ILA’s current contract negotiation objectives includes:
Significant Wage Increase
-
- The ILA has secured a 61.5% wage increase over six years for its members.
- The union has chosen to delay the immediate implementation of this raise to focus on negotiating additional critical contract provisions.
Additional Considerations
-
- Jurisdiction Protections: ILA seeks to ensure that essential tasks, like operating cranes, remain with ILA members, preventing these roles from being outsourced or automated.
- Automation Protections: Negotiations aim to prevent the introduction of automated machinery that could replace union jobs.
- Healthcare and Container Royalty: The ILA is focused on preserving healthcare benefits and container royalty payments, which supplement member wages, against potential reductions by employers.
Retroactive Payment
-
- Once the contract is finalized, members will receive retroactive pay dating back to October 1st 2024, ensuring no loss of earnings while negotiations continue.
ILA CONTRACT EXTENSION
Less than a week after International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) members throughout the U.S. East and Gulf coasts began the largest strike in 47 years, the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced a contract extension that ceased the labor action. The extension expires on January 15, 2025, at which point the union may strike if a new contract has not been successfully negotiated.
“The International Longshoreman’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.”
International Longshoreman Association | United States Maritime Association |Joint Statement | October 3, 2024
Stay up-to-date on freight news with Green’s Weekly Freight Market Update by following us on LinkedIn. For continuous updates, make sure to check out our website at greenworldwide.com.
