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

Statement from Harold J. Daggett, International President, International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Rebuttal to Luc Arnouts on Job Elimination Through Automation
This rebuttal stems from a Journal of Commerce article we recently shared on the official ILA Facebook page. In it,

A Message from Harold J. Daggett, International President, International Longshoremen’s Association, On the Global Maritime Anti-Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal
To my fellow Maritime Workers across the globe, Two years ago, at the ILA’s Quadrennial Convention in Hollywood, Florida, I

ILA and IDC Invite World-Wide Maritime Unions To Meet In Lisbon, Portugal November 5th and 6th For Pivotal Summit: United Against Automation: A Call to All Maritime Unions Worldwide
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (July 9, 2025) Join Us in Lisbon, Portugal – November 5th and 6th The time is now.

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
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