The Port of Wilmington resumed normal operations on Friday, following a tentative wage agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd.

About 45,000 unionized workers at ports along the East and Gulf coasts, including the Port of Wilmington, went on strike Tuesday after the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd., an entity representing container carriers, terminal operators and port associations, failed to negotiate a new contract before an existing contract expired at midnight on Sept. 30.

In a joint statement issued Thursday evening, the two groups announced a “tentative agreement on wages” and an agreement to extend the existing master contract until Jan. 15, 2025, to give them time “to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.”

“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” the statement concluded.

Shortly afterward, the North Carolina Ports issued a statement announcing normal operations would resume on Friday at 8 a.m.

The agreement ends a three-day worker strike. The Port of Wilmington recognized the work stoppage, closing its South (Container) Gate and restricting container vessel and rail cargo operations.

On Tuesday, the first day of the strike, more than 100 local ILA members turned out to picket near the Port of Wilmington. Many held signs and wore shirts supporting a “fair contact” and “workers rights.” Local members said they hoped a new contract would bring higher wages and protect port jobs from automation in the future – two issues that are at the center of the union's ongoing negotiations.

According to the Associated Press, top union officials had asked United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. for a 77% raise over the term of their new six-year contract and for a complete ban on the use of automation at the ports, which members see as a threat to their jobs.

The tentative agreement that ended the strike on Thursday included a wage increase of around 62% over six years, according to Associated Press reports from an unidentified source briefed on the agreement.

The strike had sparked concerns about supply chain delays and shortages nationwide. On Thursday night, President Joe Biden issued a statement applauding the strike's end.

“I want to thank the union workers, the carriers, and the port operators for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding,” Biden wrote. “Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”