The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) urged its members not to stage any strikes, as the union intends to seek an emergency meeting with members of the U.S. Congress.

Last week, the association called for a one-day shutdown of U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports to protest over job losses.

The protests were planned due to hiring practices in some of the nation’s ports, which result in reducing the numbers of stevedores.

Now, ILA plans to meet with members of Congress to address the growing concerns of ILA longshore workers.

In February, ILA members and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents employers of stevedores, started informal talks about the new collective bargaining agreement. The dockworkers’ current contract is valid until September 30, 2018.

The association intends to put greater emphasis on local contract bargaining and oppose fully automated terminals during the negotiations with the USMX.