Dockworkers last week voted in favor for their long-awaited labor deal, which delivers a 62% pay raise and promises peace at ports for the next six years along the East and Gulf coasts, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The International Longshoremen’s Association vote on Tuesday caps one of the most contentious labor negotiations in decades at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.
Tens of thousands of dockworkers walked off the job for three days in October in the association’s first coastwide strike in almost 50 years. The strike shut down some of the country’s busiest gateways—including the Port of Greater Baton Rouge—during the busy peak shipping season when U.S. retailers are pulling in holiday goods.
Tuesday’s vote was welcomed by industry groups. Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation, says the new contract “will provide stability to East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, which is vital for retailers and their supply chains.”
The October walkout ended after Biden-administration officials intervened and helped broker a tentative deal that raised the base hourly rate for ILA port workers to $63 from $39 over six years.
