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.

The US Maritime Alliance struck a six-year deal with shipping and port companies, averting a strike that would have crippled shipping.

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.

The International Longshoremen's Association and port terminal operators on the East Coast and Gulf Coast reached a tentative labor deal Wednesday, averting a disruptive dockworker strike that could have shut down all major ports from Maine to Texas starting next week.