BREAKING... PORT WORKERS REACH DEAL, HEAD BACK TO WORK... AT LEAST UNTIL JAN 15... CNBC: Port strike ends as workers agree to tentative deal on wages and contract extension A major union for U.S. dockworkers and the United States Maritime Alliance agreed on Thursday to a tentative deal on wages and have extended their existing contract through Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The move ends a strike that had snarled East Coast and Gulf Coast ports since the beginning of the week and threatened U.S. supply of fruits, automobiles, and other goods.