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 Dawn of Unionism

Exploitation of Workers
The first Longshoremen's union

By the early 19^th century, the longshoreman of the day eked out a meager existence along the North Atlantic coast. Their working conditions were wretched and their wages pitiful. Many were new to the country and unfamiliar with the customs and language. Exploitation was the order of the day. But an unseen change was being wrought in the souls of these good men. The day was coming when none but they themselves would be the masters of their destinies.

By mid-century, the longshoremen had begun to organize. We know this from various historical documents that tell of work stoppages and the creation of worker benevolent associations; a primitive form of unionism was gradually coming into existence. Nevertheless, resistance to this change was strong, and it wasn't until 1864 that the first modern longshoremen's union was formed in the port of New York; the Longshoremen's Union Protective Association (LUPA).

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