History

--Roots of 
the ILA

--The Dawn 
of Unionism

--First 
Longshoremen's
Union

--ILA
Beginnings

--Early Threats
To Unionism

--Realism 
and Caution

--The Haymarket
Riot

--Creation of
the ILA

--Affiliation with
AFL-CIO

--Fighting
Communism
and racism

--ILA arrives in
New York

--ILA absorbs
LUPA

--Gangland
Myths

--Wagner Act

--Pacific Coast
Split

--ILA Accused
of Gangsterism

--Teddy Gleason
Fights to Save
the ILA

Teddy Gleason

--Elected President
of the ILA

--ILA in the
Present

The Beginnings of the ILA

The Lumber Handlers
Dan Keefe 

During the time when the major unions of the late 19^th century were battling themselves into near extinction in the North Atlantic, a new union was taking shape on the banks of the Great Lakes. It was here, in 1877, that an Irish tugboat worker from Chicago named Dan Keefe formed the first local of the Association of Lumber Handlers, later to be known as the International Longshoremen's Association. 

That Keefe was successful in his endeavors to establish such a union on "The Lakes" is truly impressive and is a monument to his skill as an organizer and leader among men. From the outset, Keefe faced significant challenges, most notably the outright hostility to unions of Chicago's influential industrialists and the traditional anti-union leanings of longshore recruits from small Midwestern towns.  Nevertheless, Keefe successfully expanded membership in the newborn union to include large numbers of dockworkers. His ability to accomplish what so few union leaders in the past had been able to do-make good on promises to improve working conditions and wages - quickly attracted new members to the union.  

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