(NewsNation) — The port strike threatening to derail the holiday shopping season has temporarily ceased.
On Thursday, an accord was struck to suspend the strike until Jan. 15 to allow both sides time to negotiate a more permanent remedy.
The deal between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance includes dockworkers returning to the job with immediate effect.
Strikes began on Tuesday as port workers following the expiration of their contracts amid a pay dispute with the ports.
What is the deal currently agreed to?
The 45,000 workers at East and Gulf Coast ports are back on the job and will remain in situ until Jan. 15 unless a more solidified deal is agreed to prior.
An anonymous source briefed on the agreement told the AP ports had tentatively agreed to increase wages by 62% across the next five years, a 12% jump on the previous proposal, as part of the future deal.
Workers will continue to work under their expired contract rates until Jan. 15.
What is still unclear?
It is uncertain when a new deal will be ratified, but there is little likelihood that a strike will happen again.
Before Tuesday’s strikes, both sides had moved off their initial wage offers, according to the Maritime Alliance, meaning progress had begun before the brief crisis occurred.
What goods will be affected if it resumes?
In the unlikely event that a strike somehow occurs, notwithstanding the in-principle agreement, food products are among the most likely to be impacted.
This includes fruit, vegetables, coffee, and seafood from outside the United States.
American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch told CBS News that more than 75% of America’s bananas are dealt with by the International Longshoremen’s Association.
Others included 80% of chocolate, 85% of canned food and 82% of hot peppers arriving in the U.S.