NEW YORK—Thousands of dockworkers returned to work Friday, the day after a longshoremen’s union reached a preliminary deal with shippers, ending a three-day strike weeks before the US presidential election.
At the Port of Mobile in the Gulf Coast state of Alabama, terminal operator APM resumed operations at 7:00 am (1200 GMT), while the Port of Virginia in Norfolk said it will reopen Saturday, according to online postings.
At the giant Port of New York and New Jersey, the second-largest container port in the United States after Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Port Liberty terminal in Bayonne plans to resume work on Monday morning.
“I do expect that by this time next week, we will have serviced all of the vessels that were delayed and that cargo will be flowing into the economy,” Bethann Rooney, port director of New York and New Jersey, said at a briefing with reporters.
The staggered reopening covers US ports from Maine to Texas following Thursday night’s preliminary agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). Workers had walked out Tuesday morning with the expiration of their contract. AFP
The parties “reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025,” said a joint statement. AFP
