NORTH BERGEN, NJ (August 6, 2026) For decades, securing robust financial protections for the families of ILA longshore workers killed on the job was a primary, deeply personal goal for International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) President Harold J. Daggett. The waterfront has historically been one of the most hazardous work environments in the world, where heavy machinery, massive shipping containers, and unpredictable conditions pose daily risks to life and limb. Recognizing that a workplace tragedy could instantly shatter a family’s financial stability, Daggett long maintained that the union’s ultimate responsibility extended beyond active wages to the permanent security of a member’s loved ones left behind.
ILA President Daggett spent many sleepless nights following the death of an ILA member killed on the job. He was most troubled that the families of ILA members left behind, grieving over the loss of their loved one, but also facing daunting financial challenges. Food and clothing expenses; home mortgages and paying for education of the ILA member’s children.
Through relentless negotiation and steadfast advocacy, Daggett announced last week at the ILA’s South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District Convention that he successfully achieved this milestone, transforming the ILA’s death benefit structure into one of the most generous in the labor movement.
Earlier this week, the ILA and USMX officially announced the creation of ILA President Harold Daggett’s Master Contract Death Benefit that provides significant financial support to the families of any eligible ILA member who suffers a fatal accidental injury while working under the Master Contract.
“I truly feel the Good Lord inspired me to press hard for this overdue benefit for ILA members’ survivors,” said ILA President Daggett. “It troubled me that our employers devoted significant resources for safety training, and safety awards, but failed to consider what happens to the family of an ILA member killed on the job.
“I fought hard and long and now can announce that up to $2 million dollars will be provided to the family of an ILA longshore worker killed on the job.”
By leveraging the union’s collective bargaining power, he successfully pushed employers and industry stakeholders to create a new Master Contract Death Benefit to dramatically increase the financial compensation provided to beneficiaries following a fatal workplace accident. This victory ensured that if an ILA member made the ultimate sacrifice while keeping the nation’s supply chain moving, their spouse and children would not be forced to navigate immediate economic ruin or lose their homes.
The benefit will be jointly administered through a newly established Master Contract trust structure, providing meaningful support of up to $2 million, tax free, to an eligible family.
The new benefit complements the parties’ successful efforts to strengthen safety initiatives throughout East and Gulf Coast ports, which have helped create the safest work environments at every port across the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
This achievement stands as a defining pillar of Daggett’s leadership legacy, reflecting a human-centric approach to union contract negotiations. By codifying these expansive death benefits into the Master Contract, he institutionalized a permanent safety net that honors the dignity of longshore work and treats the families of fallen members with the respect they deserve. For Daggett, the victory was more than a contractual win; it fulfilled a lifelong promise to the rank-and-file membership that no ILA family would ever be left to suffer alone in the wake of a workplace tragedy.