Port strike ends: Workers and operators reach deal

U.S. dock workers and port operators have reached a tentative deal that will immediately end a three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast , the International Longshoremen's Association union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) said on Thursday.

The terms of the tentative agreement were not immediately available.

Joint statement put out by ILA and USMX ending port strike

A joint statement was released Thursday. The full statement says:

"The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume."

What was the port strike over?

The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) members' strike, which consists of tens of thousands of port workers across the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, as the union rejected employer group United States Maritime Alliance's (USMX) final proposal made on Monday, which fell short of the wages and protections against automation ILA members were seeking.

Why were consumers worried about the strike's effects?

Since the majority of cargo imported into the United States passes through the East and Gulf Coast ports where the strike is taking place, there were increasing concerns of shortages and higher prices on items like cars and auto parts, seafood, electronics and bananas.

Concerned consumers also started stockpiling toilet paper, even though roughly 90% of American toilet paper is produced within the U.S., according to the California-based Center for Land Use Interpretation .

A video taken in the Sunset Park Costco in Brooklyn and posted to X by Brooklyn-based Stephanie Keith shows empty shelves with a line of people waiting to grab what little stock is left on Thursday morning.

Which ports in NY and NJ were affected in strike?

Six ports were closed in New York and New Jersey due to the ILA strike. Here's which ones were affected:

• Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island
• Red Hook Terminal in Brooklyn
• APM Terminals - Port Elizabeth in Elizabeth, New Jersey
• Port Newark Container Terminal in Newark, New Jersey
• Maher Container Terminal in Elizabeth, New Jersey
• Port Liberty Bayonne in Jersey City, New Jersey

Contributing: Reuters, USA Today Network

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Port strike ends: Workers and operators reach deal