The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) secured a significant contract, ensuring a 62% wage increase, accelerated raises for new members, and benefits like health care. Worth around US$35 billion, the deal also includes protections against automation, a major negotiation point. While ILA initially rejected automation, they’ve agreed to it where jobs are unaffected. However, this positions U.S. ports behind global counterparts like China, which is aggressively automating its facilities, potentially outpacing the U.S. in efficiency and labor cost in the coming years.