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Dockworkers return to work after partial agreement reached with U.S. Maritime Alliance

MIAMI ā€“ After three days of picketing at PortMiami, hundreds of port workers there and at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale are getting back to work.

ā€œWe reached somewhat of a partial agreement with the USMX,ā€ ILA Local 1526 President Johnnie Dixon said. ā€œWe got a pretty substantial wage increase over the next six years, so our members will be returning back to work.ā€

Workers from ports here in South Florida, to Houston and all the way up to Boston were making their way to their job sites Friday morning to work on a variety of hands-on jobs, like handling containers and the products inside.

Contract specifics between the International Longshoremenā€™s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, are still to be determined by early next year.

Automated machines is a key point the union is hoping to figure out.

ā€œWhen automation is not implemented with the proper safeguards in place, it kills jobs and, at the end of the day, we all know thatā€™s what importers are trying to do,ā€ Dixon said.

On Thursday night, workers were seen hugging each other after the announcement of a tentative deal came out.

Union heads released the following statement Thursday:

ā€œWe have come to a tentative agreement on wages, we are on a 3 month extension. The picket is over and back to normal operations as of 8am tomorrow.ā€

ā€œWe feel good about whatā€™s to come in January, but right now weā€™re just going to celebrate with the benchmark that weā€™ve reached so far,ā€ Dixon said.

Even though workers are back at ports, negotiations continue and the new deadline to finalize a new contract is Jan. 15.

CLICK HERE to read the article in Spanish.


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