Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The International Longshoremen's Association reached an agreement Wednesday on a new master labor contract with the United States Maritime Alliance, averting a strike at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. The six-year ILA-USMX labor deal is subject to ratification by each side. It avoids a work stoppage that would have happened on Jan. 15 absent an agreement. Advertisement "This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that