NEW YORK — Talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) continue in an effort to reach a new labor agreement for 15,000 container workers before the current master contract expires Feb. 6.

“In these negotiations, the parties made progress and have agreed that the negotiations will continue under our auspices,” George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said in a statement regarding a meeting of the two sides from Jan. 15 to Jan. 17.

The statement comes after the ILA recently walked out of regional talks with the New York Shipping Association over what it said were “totally unacceptable” proposals, casting a shadow over the upcoming master contract negotiations (amm.com, Jan. 10).

The contract was initially set to expire Dec. 28, but an extension was agreed to prevent ground containerized shipments from coming to a complete halt at all major ports on the East and Gulf coasts (amm.com, Dec. 28).