Longshoremen are returning to work at ports from Maine to Texas, just three days after walking out on a strike that threatened to cripple the economy if it went on for an extended period of time. In a joint statement Thursday night,

Forty-five thousand dockworkers went on strike Tuesday for the first time in decades at 36 U.S. ports, stretching from Maine to Texas. Here’s why.

The port’s 170 workers are now set to return to work alongside the 45,000 other ILA members who had been on strike as of Tuesday, and any major disruptions which a prolonged closure may have posed to manufacturers’ supply chains will be largely avoided.

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.

Just three days after the beginning of a potentially crippling strike, cargo shipping will resume at East Coast and Atlantic ports.

A 63 percent wage increase for East and Gulf Coast longshoremen helped halt the walkout, which threatened to damage the national economy had it continued.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Thursday evening announced it was suspending its strike until January 15, pending a deal with the group representing the port owners, United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).

The strike, which began on Tuesday after dock workers said management stalled pay increases and refused to provide sufficient protections against automation, threatened to cripple the economy as key imports were set to be held up.

At least 25,000 dockworkers across 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts in the U.S. can return to work amid a tentative agreement made on wages that would extend their current contract until Jan. 15.