Houston-area longshoremen along with thousands of other workers announced an end to their strike Thursday while they broker a new contract with port operators and distributors, ending a three-day work stoppage that threatened to send shock waves through the economy.

The union for striking dockworkers said Thursday evening they'll return to work at U.S. ports after reaching a tentative deal with the United States Maritime Alliance, ending three Why it matters: There were concerns that if the first port strike on the East Coast since 1977 had continued it could have hit supply chains and drive shortages and higher prices as the U.

Striking East and Gulf Coast dockworkers and U.S. port operators have reached a tentative agreement on wages, ending a two-day-old work stoppage, the longshoreman's union announced Thursday.