The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that 45,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports in the United States are returning to work after their union reached a deal to suspend a strike that could have caused shortages and higher prices if it had dragged on. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe says that the International Longshoremen's Association is suspending its three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, said in a joint statement that they have reached a tentative agreement on wages. The ports sweetened their wage offer from 50 per cent over six years to 62 per cent. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract. Talks now turn to the automation of ports and other sticking points. The settlement pushes the strike and any potential shortages past the November U.S. presidential election, eliminating a potential liability for Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. It is also a big plus for the Biden-Harris administration, since shortages could have driven up prices and reignited inflation.