A potential second dockworkers strike at ports from Texas to Maine — and including the Port of Newark — has been averted after longshoremen and shipping companies reached a tentative deal on a new contract late Wednesday.

The six-year agreement still needs to be ratified by union members, but in a joint statement the International Longshoremen’s Association, based in North Bergen, and the United States Maritime Alliance, headquartered in Lyndhurst, called it a “win-win.”

Exact details aren’t being disclosed, but according to the statement, the deal protects union jobs and creates a framework for when and how automated machinery is used at the ports. The shipping companies had argued ports needed to introduce new technology to improve productivity, but the union wasn’t convinced jobs wouldn’t be slashed.

“Today’s tentative agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance shows that labor and management can come together to benefit workers and their employers,” said President Joe Biden in a statement. “I applaud the dockworkers’ union for delivering a strong contract. Their members kept our ports open during the pandemic, as we worked together to unsnarl global supply chains. Thank you to the carriers and port operators who play an essential role in our nation’s economy.”

The strike would have taken effect Jan. 15, just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, and could have crippled the economy. Trump had sided with the union’s concerns.

Ports will now remain open and operating until the current contract is ratified.