N.Y./N.J Port, Longshoremen Reach Tentative Agreement

Longshoremen and the Port of New York and New Jersey have reached a tentative six-year labor agreement, Reuters reported.

Negotiations ended with a deal just before a Friday deadline, and a spokesman for the International Longshoremen’s Association said the deal was tentative, though declined to provide details, Reuters said.

About 4,500 longshoremen work at the port — about a third of all East Coast longshoremen. The port handles about 3 million containers annually, mostly through three major terminals, Reuters reported.

The deal reached Thursday is part of larger talks between the ILA, which represents 14,500 dockworkers at 15 East and Gulf coast ports, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, which represents shippers, terminal operators and port authorities.

The ILA and USMX reached a tentative deal Feb. 1, averting a walkout at East and Gulf Coast ports.