A looming strike at East and Gulf Coast ports has been avoided as the months-long labor negotiations finally reached a tentative agreement. Late Friday, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen, who has been moderating the negotiations since last year, issued a statement indicating that a tentative agreement had been reached regarding the Master Agreement between the United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association.
Retail Imports to Increase 2.3% in January as Port Strike Threat Continues
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3% in January over the same month last year as retailers continue to urge labor and management to avoid a strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast docks. This report is according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates