(CNN) — The strike at ports along the East and Gulf Coast is over, for now. The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announced they reached a tentative deal on wages this evening. A source says the agreement on wages amounts to a four-dollar per-hour raise for each year of the six-year contract. The union agreed to extend the contract that expired earlier this week until January 15th while the full agreement is completed. 50-thousand union members will return to work Friday. The tentative deal would still need to be ratified by rank-and-file members before it goes into effect. Senator Lindsey Graham issued a statement on social media surrounding the end of the strike saying, “Very good news indeed for suffering people throughout the Southeast that the port strike is over. It was beginning to have a devastating effect, adding misery to pain. I am glad this man-made disaster is behind us. Now we will have more resources to help the devastated.”   Categories: Local News, National News, News, Politics, State