A tentative deal that reopened ports on Friday after a US dockworkers strike on the Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf Coast made no mention of “automation” — a key sticking point between the union and employers.
The omission suggests port automation is one, and possibly the most important, of the “other outstanding issues” that the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and an alliance of terminal operators and container lines will be discussing at the bargaining table.
