MINNEAPOLIS (DTN) -- Fears are increasing that the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. (USMX) will likely not reach an agreement on their current contract that expires at the end of the month, opening the door for a strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.

USMX has been in master contract bargaining with the International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO, since May 2024. As of Sept. 15, the ILA has rejected USMX offers.

The ILA represents more than 85,000 people. The current six-year contract expires on Sept. 30, 2024, and covers approximately 45,000 port workers employed in container and roll-on/roll-off (cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo) operations at ports from Maine to Houston. A strike by ILA is planned for Oct. 1, 2024, if negotiations fail.

CNN reported on Sept. 4, "U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports handle 43% of all U.S. imports and billions of dollars in trade monthly, but companies have been moving shipping containers to the West Coast over strike fears."

ILA President Harold Daggett and ILA Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett cosigned a message to the ILA's 85,000 members on Sept. 7, providing them with the stark message that the two sides were far apart on many issues and warned ILA longshore workers against USMX's propaganda campaign "designed to mislead and divide us."

USMX's contract proposal, they charged, failed to recognize the current economic conditions, including inflation that ILA longshore workers and their families face in 2024. The ILA leaders attacked USMX's claim that they were offering industry-leading wages.

"Their interpretation of 'leading wages' is polar opposite to ours," the ILA leaders said. "Inflation has completely eaten into any raises and wages. Everything has become more expensive, even compared to six years ago. Our members are struggling to pay their mortgages, rent, car payments, groceries, utility bills, taxes, and in some cases, their children's education. USMX's corporate greed has made them delusional -- profits over people. They have taken advantage of a low entry wage and a tiered progression system for 30 years. We outright reject their position on the new entry wage."

The union leaders further charged that USMX was "trying to fool you with promises of workforce protections for semi-automation."

"We don't want any form of semi-automation or full automation," the ILA said. "We want our jobs -- the jobs we have historically done for over 132 years." (https://ilaunion.org/...)

On Sept. 5, USMX posted this statement on its website: "USMX remains committed and prepared to resume negotiations with the ILA on a new Master

Contract before the current agreement expires and to avoid a strike. The ILA continues to strongly signal it has already made the decision to call a strike and we hope the ILA will reopen dialogue and share its current contract demands so we can work together on a new deal, as we have done