By Doyinsola Oladipo and David Shepardson NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. dock workers and port operators reached a tentative deal that will immediately end a crippling three-day strike that has shut down shipping on the U.

Longshoremen are returning to work at the Port of Baltimore and other ports from Maine to Texas, three days after walking out on a strike that threatened to cripple the economy if it went on for an extended period of time.

The largest union representing dockworkers in the United States said an anticipated port strike will begin on Tuesday as negotiations have reportedly stalled.