Details of the deal hatched between unions and employers covering 22,000 workers at 29 US west coast ports have emerged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a fraught 13 months of stalled negotiations, walk-outs and cargoes emigrating to alternate locations, the new six-year contract, which still has to be approved by union members and terminal operators, sees dockworkers winning a 32% pay increase through 2028, effective from July last year, with workers also sharing a one-time $70m \u201chero bonus\u201d for working through the pandemic.<\/p>\n
According to the Wall Street Journal<\/em>, the deal gives dockworkers a raise of $4.62 an hour in the first year of the contract\u2014the equivalent of a 10% wage increase\u2014plus an additional $2 an hour in each subsequent year.<\/p>\n The new deal works out at an annual pay increase of 5.7%, far higher than most other job sectors in the US. HR consultants Mercer report that in 2023, pay increases in the US are the highest since 2008 at 3.8-4.1%.<\/p>\n Prior to this wage rise, the average full-time port worker had an annual salary last year of $211,000, when benefits such as pensions and health care are included.<\/p>\n