Back to work | Union for 45,000 US dockworkers agrees to suspend strike

HOUSTON — The union for 45,000 United States dockworkers agreed to suspend their strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.

U.S. ports from Maine to Texas shut down Tuesday when the union went on strike for the first time since 1977. The strike began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and halted operations at ports from Brownsville to Boston.

The terminals in Houston will reopen Friday at 1 p.m.

RELATED: Dockworkers from Texas to New England go on strike, demand better contract

The International Longshoremen’s Association wants significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks used in the loading or unloading of freight at 36 U.S. ports.

Those ports handle roughly half of the nation's cargo from ships.

Here's a joint statement from USMX and ILA on the suspension of the strike:

"The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume."

The contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, expired Tuesday. Some progress was reported in talks late Monday, but the union went on strike anyway.

Containers piled up at the Port of Houston as cargo ships at sea hedged their bets and stayed close hoping a resolution was in the works.

RELATED: What are the demands of the Longshoremen? Here's a breakdown

What we know about the Longshoremen’s demands

• The contract is between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX)
• The strike affected 36 U.S. ports
• The union’s opening offer was for a 77% pay raise over six years
• Members make a base salary of about $81,000 per year

USMX has previously said it wanted to bargain to avoid a strike, but time ran out. It also said the ILA was not willing to return to the negotiating table.

Both sides said the suspension of the strike will allow more time for bargaining and negotiating.

Port Houston announced its Bayport and Barbours Cut container terminals would be reopening Friday and would be open for extended hours on Saturday.