UPDATE United States strike

4 October 2024

Earlier this week we informed you about the strike on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. Led by union International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), work at all ports in these regions was at a standstill since Tuesday, Oct. 1. Ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts have reopened as of today, Oct. 4.

Latest developments dated Oct. 4, 2024:

Last night, the union and employer organization United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement. The strike has been suspended until mid-January, by which time the agreement should be further developed.

What is happening?

Port workers working on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico have been on strike since Oct. 1. As long as there is no collective bargaining agreement, 45,000 workers are laying off work. The impact is going to be huge. What does this mean for your shipment?

The current collective bargaining agreement between employers’ organization United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the American union International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), expired yesterday after a six-year term. So far, no new agreement has been reached. The ILA has announced to strike starting today, Oct. 1, until a solution is found.

This means that all ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts are closed until further notice. No cargo can arrive or depart from ports along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Huge impact

The impact will be immense. Our agent in the U.S. has confided in us that you should take the following into account: for every week the strike lasts, there will be a month’s backlog and congestion. In other words, if the strike lasts three weeks, there will be at least three months of backlog and congestion.

As a result, customers with cargo already en route to this area will see their cargo stuck at sea in the short term. If the strike continues for an extended period, shipping companies may choose to move cargo to the U.S. West Coast, where a different union is active and a collective bargaining agreement is still in place. This will mainly involve the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

News & updates

Given this changing situation, we advise you to keep an eye on our social media, website and on the news on this subject. Presumably this will begin to affect other services and/or sailing areas as well. Of course, you can also contact your regular Ritra Cargo contact person.