Saturday, October 5

The thousands of members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) have officially ended their massive strike after they completed negotiations of a deal with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).

Starting at 12:00 am ET on Tuesday, over 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) went on strike across the US's eastern and Gulf ports, stretching across an area from Maine to Texas. They demanded higher wages because of inflation-- while their wages have increased 11% to $39 an hour, inflation has increased 24% in that time period, leading to financial problems for the port workers.

Soon after the strike began, serious worries arose, as multiple industries were going to be heavily affected. The trucking and warehouse industry would have taken a massive hit, as they depend on cargo and shipping to supply them with the materials that they need to distribute amongst the people. If the strike persisted for multiple weeks, supply chain problems could have led to shortages of clothing, car parts, furniture, alcoholic beverages, wood, coffee, sugar, and perishable items.

Thankfully, the USMX is coming close to sorting out the entire issue, and consumers can stop worrying about impending doom for their home food supply. USMX is an alliance that represents container carriers, employers, and port associations across the East and Gulf coasts of the United States, and they were the primary negotiator in this ordeal. While the organization made an initial offer to gradually raise wages by $3 per hour per year (50% increase from current wages) over the next 6 years, the ILA declined, and they were sent back to the drawing board.

The ILA demanded an annual increase of $5 per hour, which would have been a staggering 77% increase from the current wages of $39 per hour. However, after facing pressure to solve the problem quickly, the USMX came back with another offer, stating that they would increase wages for all union members by $4 per year for the next 6 years, which spans the duration of the contract. This would increase their wages from $39 per hour currently to $63 per hour by 2030, which is a 62% increase in pay.

The ILA later accepted the offer, and it is now a tentative deal. However, the official documents are still being finalized by lawyers and other negotiators. Due to the fact that the ILA's current contract expires on Monday, they agreed to extend it to January 15, 2025, to give them time to close out the final deal. In addition, because a deadline so late would cause major disruptions to shipping, trucking, and other industries, the union has agreed to send all members back to work, which began on Friday.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Jimmy Carter, the 39th US President, was the first-ever president born in a hospital. The 38 presidents before Carter were all born outside hospitals, and seven of those 38 were born in log cabins.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story. (Orson Welles)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gossamer (adj)- Something described as gossamer—such as a butterfly wing or a thin fabric—is very light or delicate.

In a Sentence: Except for a few gossamer clouds, the sky was clear and blue.