Rank-and-file members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are set to vote on ratification for their new master contract on February 25, after the deal was unanimously approved by the union’s wage scale committee.
The ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) came to terms on the tentative agreement on January 8, a week before the deadline for a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports. The benefits outlined in the deal will apply retroactively going back to October 2024, and will remain in effect through September 2030. Although the ILA has yet to release details on the agreement itself, union president Harold Daggett said that it “not only means more money in the pockets of our ILA members, but also a strong future for them and our entire industry.”
“Our collective strength helped produce the richest contract in our history,” Daggett added.
The terms of the collective bargaining agreement will be made available to ILA members in the lead-up to the February 25 ratification vote. Prior to voting to move it forward, wage scale committee members were also shown a video explaining the contract’s broad strokes, before it was explained in more detail by ILA vice president Dennis Daggett.
