Industry leaders react to ILA-USMX port deal

Trade groups and industry leaders were at ease after the International Longshoremen’s Association the United States Maritime Alliance reached a tentative agreement on a six-year contract for East and Gulf Coast port workers on Wednesday.

The deal comes after trade groups urged the union and USMX for a resolution to avoid a work stoppage that would delay shipments at ports across the East and Gulf Coasts.

Here are some excerpts of what industry leaders are saying about the agreement.

President Joe Biden

“Collective bargaining plays an important role when it comes to building a strong economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Today’s tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance shows that labor and management can come together to benefit workers and their employers. 

“I applaud the dockworkers’ uni