Raising the specter of a labor dispute paralyzing container traffic at U.S. ports on the East and Gulf coasts, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on July 10 announced it had suspended talks with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that had been scheduled for the next day. The decision arises amid ongoing negotiations of local agreements under a coast-wide master contract, set to expire on September 30, 2024.
The ILA said that it canceled master contract talks with the...