President Biden on Thursday praised the agreement reached by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to end port strikes, saying collective bargaining is working and essential to the economy. he claimed.
“Today's tentative agreement on record wages and an extension of the collective bargaining process marks important progress toward a strong contract,” Biden, who has supported the workers' strike, said in a statement.
He added: “Collective bargaining is working and essential to building a strong economy from the middle to the bottom up.”
The ILA announced Thursday night that USMX, the trade group that operates the Eastern and Gulf ports, has agreed to raise wages for dockworkers and immediately reinstate union members.
The President praised all parties involved for coming together to reopen the port. He congratulated ILA's longshoremen as “deserving of a strong contract” and noted the sacrifices they have made to keep the ports open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also praised port operators and their careers, calling everyone involved “patriotic” in helping ports reopen to ensure supplies are available for cleaning after Hurricane Helen hit the United States. He said he took action.
The two-day strike could have had a serious impact on the U.S. economy and created political problems for Biden and Vice President Harris.
