Dockworkers Strike Averted For Now After Mediator Brokers 30 Day Contract Extension

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/dockworkers-strike-averted-after-mediator-brokers-30-day

A mediator on Friday said the contract for longshoremen working on the East and Gulf Coasts has been extended for an additional 30 days, temporarily averting a potential strike by dockworkers that was originally planned for Sunday, the Associated Press reports.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/mediator-longshoremens-contract-east-and-gulf-coasts-extended-30-days

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/20440626/mediators-longshoremen-strike-averted-deal-reached
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The deal adds a 30-day extension to talks between the two parties, averting a shutdown at the ports that oversee 45 percent of commerce, according to a Bloomberg report. Now, the ILA and the USMA have until midnight on Jan. 28 to iron out their differences and come to a long-term deal.

"While some significant issues remain in contention, I am cautiously optimistic that they can be resolved in the upcoming 30-day extension period," said Federal Conciliation and Mediation Services Director George H. Cohen.

Cohen said in a statement that detailed information about the deal reached would not be released.

"What I can report is that the agreement on this important subject represents a major positive step toward achieving an overall collective bargaining agreement," he said.