Dockworkers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association negotiated to avoid a second port strike in a matter of months.

Automation was at the center of a long-running labor dispute that threatened to close East and Gulf Coast ports.

The International Longshoremen's Association and United States Maritime Alliance reached a tentative deal on Wednesday, averting a looming strike set for later this month.

The union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.

A US dockworkers union reached a tentative deal on a new labor contract with a group of ocean carriers and terminal operators that, if ratified would avoid a shutdown of East and Gulf coast ports next week.

Cargo could stop flowing at East and Gulf Coast ports, which handle most imports, if a union and an employers’ group can’t agree on the use of machines that can operate without humans.

The longshoremen’s union was threatening a work stoppage that could have frozen East and Gulf coast ports days before President-elect Trump takes office.

US longshoremen reached a contract agreement with ports and shippers Wednesday, averting a potential strike that could have damaged the American economy. The International Longshoremen’s Association union and the US Maritime Alliance of ports and shipping companies said they had reached a tentative agreement for a six-year contract,

Dockworkers and employers on the East and Gulf Coasts had until Jan. 15 to reach a new agreement that settled differences over automation.

The US Maritime Alliance struck a six-year deal with shipping and port companies, averting a strike that would have crippled shipping.

The United States Maritime Alliance said on Tuesday it reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association.