Back To Work: Port Workers Agree To Postpone Strike Until January 15th

The strike is over, for now. The dockworkers' union has agreed to postpone the strike which began at midnight on Monday, until January 15th.

The union, which represents 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports agreed to suspend their strike to provide time to negotiate a new contract, according to multiple media reports.

The agreement will allow the union and the U.S Maritime Alliance, which represents the shippers and ports, more time to negotiate a new six-year contract. According to our tv partner, KPRC channel 2, both sides reached agreement on wage increases, but details weren’t available.

The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at the ports from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.

The strike raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks.