SC Ports reopen as union workers’ strike suspended

Over 700 Charleston workers for the International Longshoremen’s Association stood to strike against their wages and work conditions.    

After four days, the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance have come to an agreement, ending a strike involving 45,000 workers, according to a joint statement from the two organizations.  

In the statement, the ILA and USMX announced that their master contract, which previously ended Sept. 30, will be extended to Jan. 15  to allow for more time to negotiate.  

“Now that the parties have agreed to resume their roles in our supply chain success, South Carolina’s maritime community stands prepared to deliver for shippers, including manufacturers, farmers and retailers, who utilize our port facilities to access global markets,” Barbara Melvin, SC Ports president and CEO, said in a news release. “Let’s get to work!” 

A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%, the Associated Press reported. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.

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

The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. Most retailers, though, had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the dockworkers’ strike.

“With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it’s gonna hold,” President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday night after the agreement.

In a statement later, Biden applauded both sides “for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.”

Biden said that collective bargaining is “critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

The union’s membership won’t need to vote on the temporary suspension of the strike, meaning that giant cranes should start loading and unloading shipping containers Thursday night. Until Jan. 15, the workers will be covered under the old contract, which expired on Sept. 30.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.