Dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts reached a tentative labor agreement with employers on Wednesday, averting a strike that could have hammered the economy days before President-elect Donald J. Trump took office.

The International Longshoremen’s Association, the dockworkers’ union, and the United States Maritime Alliance, the employers’ negotiating group, overcame their differences over a big sticking point in their talks: the introduction of automated cargo-moving machinery at the ports.

“This agreement protects current I.L.A. jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf Coasts ports,” the two sides said in a joint statement Wednesday evening.

After members of the International Longshoremen’s Association went on a short strike in October, the maritime alliance agreed to raise wages more than 60 percent over six years, provided that other parts of the labor agreement — including provisions on automation — were resolved by Jan. 15.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.