## Port strike averted for time being
_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_
An economically crippling strike at 15 ports on the East and Gulf Coasts has been averted for now, and material exporters are breathing a sigh of relief.
Since March, the United States Maritime Alliance, representing the East and Gulf Coast longshore industry, and the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents longshore workers, have been in negotiations over a new contract. The existing contract was set to expire Sept. 30, 2012, but was extended several times as both sides attempted to forge a new pact.
On Dec. 19, with negotiations still at an impasse, the ILA began preparing for its first strike on the East and Gulf ports since 1977. Effective Dec. 30, the strike would have resulted in 14,500 Longshoremen refusing to load or unload containers, effectively halting activity at ports from Houston to Boston.
However, on Dec. 28, both sides announced that they would extend the current contract for another 30 days and that they had made progress on negotiations. Both sides also reported moving closer toward an agreement regarding the issue of container royalty payments to workers, which were first instituted in 1960 as a way to protect ILA members from job losses caused as a result of automation at ports.
[ ](http://www.herboldusa.net/pru)
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URL: http://resource-recycling.com/node/3362
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