WASHINGTON— A growing list of trade associations recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden imploring him to step in on negotiations between The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to reach an agreement that would keep ports open throughout the East and Gulf Coasts.

On Sept. 17, ILA released a statement expressing its members’ intention to strike if certain wage and benefits concessions are not met by Oct. 1. Another key piece of the deal for ILA has been the role of automating more parts of port services.

The current contract between the two parties is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30.

USMX responded to the joint association coalition letter saying it was in strong agreement with the 177 trade association calling for the immediate resumption of negotiations with the ILA.  

“The only way to resolve this impasse is to resume negotiations, which we are willing to do at any time,” USMX said. “We understand and appreciate the concern from these trade associations, who realize what is at stake if negotiations are unable to progress, and we call on the ILA to return to bargaining so we can reach a new deal before the expiration of our current agreement, something we continue to believe is possible if the other side is willing to meet.”

“As a follow-up to our June 25 letter, we call upon the administration to immediately work with both parties to resume contract negotiations and ensure there is no disruption to port operations and cargo fluidity if a new contract is not reached by the expiration date,” the letter said.

The group noted that it would be imperative that the administration engage with the parties to quickly negotiate a new deal or agree to continue negotiations while keeping the ports open and cargo flowing.

“A strike at this point in time would have a devastating impact on the economy, especially as inflation is on the downward trend,” the letter stated.

In late June the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and others raised concerns about the state of the negotiations.

Other meat groups to sign the most recent letter include the Meat Institute, Meat Import Council of America, the National Pork Producers Council and the National Chicken Council.

Similar labor disputes occurred at 29 ports on the West Coast st last year. However, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) ratified an agreement by Aug. 2023.

The joint association letter can be found here.