Key Takeaways Dock workers and employers at East and Gulf Coast ports have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract.The deal averts a strike that could have restarted when the current deal expires on Jan.

ILA strike in October had triggered a surge in shipping prices and cargo backlogs at the 36 affected ports. Longshoremen returned to work after employers agreed to a 62% wage increase over the next si

Automation was at the center of a long-running labor dispute that threatened to close East and Gulf Coast ports.