Automation was at the center of a long-running labor dispute that threatened to close East and Gulf Coast ports.

Dockworkers tentatively agree to a new deal, preventing a potential port strike that may have snarled supply chains, created shortages and inflation.

The union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.

Dockworkers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association negotiated to avoid a second port strike in a matter of months.

The United States Maritime Alliance and International Longshoremen's Association reached a deal on a contract Wednesday night avoiding a strike that could have shut down ports up and down the East Coast and crippled the U.

The International Longshoremen's Association reached an agreement Wednesday on a new master labor contract with the United States Maritime Alliance, averting a strike at U.S. east coast and gulf coast ports.

A US dockworkers union reached a tentative deal on a new labor contract with a group of ocean carriers and terminal operators that, if ratified would avoid a shutdown of East and Gulf coast ports next week.