WASHINGTON, DC — After a three-day port strike, approximately 45,000 dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts returned to work after reaching a tentative agreement for a wage increase. They extended their existing contract until Jan. 25, 2025, when the remaining issues will be negotiated.
The American Bakers Association (ABA) applauded the move to suspend the port strike.
“Every day the strike continued would have cost US commerce billions of dollars and disrupted the lives of millions of consumers,” said Eric Dell, president and CEO of ABA. “We have temporarily avoided a crisis that would have prevented commercial bakers from delivering essential food to Americans’ tables. We hope that the port operators and longshore workers are able to reach an agreement beyond January that will keep supply chains stable and certain for the long term.”
Earlier, ABA expressed concern over the impact a prolonged strike would have on the commercial baking industry. The association joined 296 other business-oriented groups to send a letter to President Joe Biden urging the administration to use its authorities to end the strike immediately.
Commercial bakers nationwide rely on imports to manufacture their products. In 2023, the industry’s imports totaled more than $3 billion. The strike impacted over 37% of the industry’s imports, worth nearly $3.1 million of products per day.
