Negotiations have stalled in the race to secure master contracts for US East and Gulf Coast port workers before the upcoming January deadline.

The previous strike ended on October 4th after just three days, when the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) agreed on a wages deal. However, some issues remained outstanding and the union only agreed to delay further strike action until January 15th unless a full agreement could be reached.

Last week, talks broke down once again over the issue of port automation and a USMX spokesperson said “While we had positive progress on a number of issues, we were unable to make significant progress on our discussions that focused on a range of technology issues.”

Adding that “the ILA is insisting on an agreement that would move our industry backward by restricting future use of technology that has existed in some of our ports for nearly two decades – making it impossible to evolve to meet the nation’s future supply chain demands.”

The ILA is opposed to any automation, which it believes will lead to its members being at risk of job losses. The USMX argues that automation is essential and will not necessarily mean job losses.

The two parties will undoubtedly be having further talks ahead of January’s deadline, but the recent rhetoric and breaking down of talks appears to be a step backwards, leading to fears that further strike action may be ahead in the new year.