The International Longshoremen’s Association is the largest union of maritime workers in North America.
Welcome to the ILA
The ILA
The International Longshoremen’s Association is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing upwards of 85,000 longshoremen on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Great Lakes, major U.S. rivers, Puerto Rico and Eastern Canada, and the Bahamas.
A Rich History
While longshoremen in the United States had organized and conducted strikes before there was a United States, the ILA traces its origins to a union of longshoremen on the Great Lakes: the Association of Lumber Handlers, founded in 1877.
Tracking Damages
Tracking Damages outlines the impact to ILA members’ jobs made by improper handling of damaged containers, specifically their being sent overseas for repair in violation of ILA rules.
ILA News
Celebrating “Unity on the Houston Waterfront” Today, July 4th, With Unveiling of Powerful Mural; New York Artists Honor the Working Spirit of Houston ILA Local 24
HOUSTON, TX – (July 4, 2025) This Fourth of July, International Longshoremen’s Association Local 24 will unveil a powerful new
ILA President Harold J. Daggett 2025 Independence Day Message to ILA Members
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (July 4, 2025) – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! To My ILA Members, I wish you and your family
His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, Sends Greetings & Congratulations To International Dockworkers Council (IDC) On Organization’s 25th Anniversary And Commends Dockworkers For Taking On Challenge of “Job Losses Caused By Automation”
CHARLESTON, SC (JUNE 26, 2025) The hundreds of global dockworkers and members of the International Dockworkers Council (IDC) gathered in
International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Charleston Locals Host 25th Anniversary Celebration of Charleston Five Victory; International Panel of Speakers Recall How Small ILA Protest Exploded Into Global Campaign That Advanced Labor, Civil and Human Rights
CHARLESTON, SC (June 25, 2025) International Longshoremen’s Association Locals 1422, 1422-A and 1771 in the Port of Charleston, South Carolina,
Dockworkers From Around the World To Meet In Charleston, South Carolina Beginning Monday, June 23rd To Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries of “Charleston Five Campaign” and Birth of International Dockworkers’ Council
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (June 20, 2025) Two monumental events that occurred a quarter of a century ago that world shape
FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE FROM INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HAROLD DAGGETT
To my 85,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association, I wish you all a Happy Father’s Day. This holiday is
ILA Videos
Power of Longshore Solidarity in Video Featuring Dockworker Leaders; International Day of Docker Solidarity to Demonstrate Full Support To ILWU
Power of World-Wide Longshore Solidarity On Display In Video Featuring Six Dockworker Leaders; International Day of Docker Solidarity Held in
ILA Local 1416, Miami To Celebrate 85th Anniversary on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021
Download original document (English) MIAMI, FLORIDA – ILA Local 1416, Miami To Celebrate 85th Anniversary on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021.
After New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Praises ILA President Harold J. Daggett In Video, A Thousand Cheer His Remarks At Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Dinner In New York
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy called ILA President Harold J. Daggett “one of his partners in growing the New Jersey
AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka Discusses President Donald Trump’s First year in office
AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka discusses President Donald Trump’s first year in office and impact on American workers. From AFL-CIO: One
ILA Photo Gallery
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