The Journal of Commerce Online – News Story
As reported by the Journal of Commerce, the International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance agreed to a 90-day contract extension, averting a threatened Maine-to-Texas dock strike at the end of this month.
The extension was announced by George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, after two days of negotiations aided by a federal mediator.
Cohen said the negotiations produced progress on several important subjects and the parties agreed to extend the contract through Dec. 29.
“In taking this significant step, the parties emphasized that they are doing so ‘for the good of the country’ to avoid any interruption in interstate commerce,” Cohen’s statement said.
“This extension will provide the parties an opportunity to focus on the outstanding core issues in a deliberate manner apart from the pressure of an immediate deadline,” he said.
Negotiations on the ILA-USMX master contract will be conducted during the same period as bargaining on supplementary local contracts, and will continue to be under supervision of the FMCS.
MIQ Logistics Comment
MIQLogistics will continue to monitor the situation and update you with additional information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact your MIQ Logistics representative.