Statement by Secretary Pete Buttigieg on ILA and USMX Agreement
This tentative agreement to get workers a historic and much-deserved raise would not be possible without the leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris, the ILA, and the USMX member companies. I want to thank everyone involved for putting the country first, finding a path forward to reopen ports, and ensuring that essential goods—including those bound for areas hard hit by Hurricane Helene—will be moving again.
I am also thankful for the tireless efforts of my administration colleagues, including Acting Labor Secretary Su and NEC Director Brainard, who worked around the clock to engage the parties in support of a deal. In the coming days and weeks, our Department will continue to coordinate closely with stakeholders across America's supply chains to support an orderly process of returning these ports to service and to encourage a good outcome in the subsequent contract negotiations.