NEW YORK ¨C A strike by dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast that disrupted much of the nation¡¯s ocean shipping this week ended on Thursday, but a key issue driving labor unrest across the continent ¡ª the growing use of automation ¡ª was unresolved.
Companies view automation as a path to better profit while unions see it as a job-killer. For North American dockworkers battling automation, Europe¡¯s port worker contracts may point a way to resolve the issue.
Some 45,000 port workers from the International Longshoremen¡¯s Association union late on Thursday ended a three-day strike that had shut ocean shipping from Maine to Texas after reaching a tentative deal on wages.
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