Dockworker Union Ratifies Six-Year Contract at Eastern U.S. Ports

The dockworker union that brought half of U.S. container trade to a halt in October 2024 has voted to ratify a new labor contract with their port and ocean carrier employers.

Nearly 99% of workers backed the contract, International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett said in a statement. “We now have labor peace for the next six years.”

The ILA-USMX accord is good news for the importers, retailers and consumers on edge from the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s trade policies and tariffs.

“Retailers welcome this resolution to the supply chain uncertainty that has lingered along the East & Gulf Coast for some time,” said Jess Dankert, supply chain vice president at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, whose members include Best Buy, Target and Home Depot. 

The ILA walked out of every major container port from Houston to Boston when their previous contract with U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), re…