Peter Eavis

A contract covering longshore workers on the East and Gulf Coasts will expire at the end of September, but talks have been stalled over the use of equipment that can function without human operators.

The railroad company’s board said it dismissed Alan Shaw and an executive he had a consensual relationship with.

The vehemence of workers over wages and other issues caught the company and union leaders off guard.

Businesses are preparing for a strike by dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts, which could begin Oct. 1 if negotiations don’t yield a new contract.

The group that represents port terminal operators said the International Longshoremen’s Association was refusing to negotiate a new contract before a Monday deadline.

Employers at East and Gulf Coast ports reported exchanging proposals with the International Longshoremen’s Association after a monthslong standoff.

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked out for the first time since 1977 in a standoff over wages, benefits and job security.

Harold J. Daggett is seeking big raises for longshoremen on the East and Gulf Coasts who have fallen behind workers on the West Coast.

The International Longshoremen’s Association received a new wage offer and will halt its walkout at East and Gulf Coast ports, which began Tuesday.

Days after tens of thousands of longshoremen along the East and Gulf Coasts walked out, their union and their bosses reached a tentative agreement on wages.