Education

ILA Education/History

15 hours ago

THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION
ESTABLISHED 1892

Please take a few minutes to read this message from ILA International Executive Vice President Dennis A. Daggett:

As a fourth-generation ILA member, there are moments when the history of this great Union hits me in a way that words sometimes cannot describe.

When I saw this image at the ILA South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District Convention, it stopped me in my tracks. It touched my heart and, quite frankly, gave me chills.

Look at this picture.

On one side are the longshoremen who came before us working breakbulk, bulk and palletized cargo by hand. Men whose backs, shoulders, hands and forearms carried the commerce of this nation. On the other side stands the modern waterfront, massive container ships, towering cranes, sophisticated equipment, advanced technology, and today’s highly skilled ILA workforce.

That distance between the two sides of this picture represents 134 years of ILA history.

But as different as those two waterfronts may look, there is something connecting them that has never changed: the men and women of the International Longshoremen’s Association.

Those of you who know me know how often I speak about our ancestors and the importance of paying homage to those who came before us. I believe deeply that we have an obligation to remember them. We stand where we stand today because they sacrificed. They fought. They struggled. And many of them performed backbreaking work under conditions most people today could hardly imagine.

There was an old saying on the waterfront:

“The ships were made of wood, but the men on the docks were made of steel.”

Those men of steel built the foundation upon which today’s mighty ILA stands.

Years ago, a longshoreman needed a wide back, and big forearms to survive a day’s work on the waterfront. Today, the women and men of the ILA are highly skilled professionals operating and maintaining some of the most sophisticated equipment and technology in the global transportation industry. The work has evolved dramatically, but its importance has not. Our members remain absolutely important to moving the world’s commerce.

And neither has the responsibility passed down from generation to generation changed.

Their hands built this Union. Their sacrifices protected it, and now it is our responsibility to carry it forward.

Being fourth generation makes that responsibility deeply personal to me. This Union has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up around this industry. I have watched it change, watched our membership grow stronger, and had the incredible privilege of witnessing four of the nine International Presidents in the history of the ILA lead this great organization.

When I look at where we started and where we stand today, I cannot help but feel that God does love the ILA.

We have endured depressions, wars, containerization, technological revolutions, economic crises and countless challenges to our jurisdiction and our livelihoods. Yet generation after generation, the ILA has survived, adapted and grown stronger.

And we are still here.

This photograph speaks volumes without saying a word. It reminds us that progress did not simply happen. It was earned! Every improvement in our working conditions, every advancement in wages and benefits, every piece of jurisdiction we possess, and every opportunity enjoyed by today’s ILA members rests upon the sacrifices of the generations who came before us.

So when we walk onto today’s modern marine terminals, we should never forget the men who once walked those wooden docks, or the first women who were truly pioneers.

We should remember what they physically endured.

We should remember their aching backs.

We should remember their courage.

And most importantly, we should remember that they built something bigger than themselves so that generations they would never live to see could have a better life.

Now it is our turn!

One day, future generations of ILA members will look back at photographs of us and the waterfront of today. I hope they will say that when our time came, we protected what was handed to us, strengthened it, and left the ILA better than we found it.

I love this Union. I love its members. I love this industry that I was fortunate enough to grow up around.

Looking at this picture and thinking about 134 years of sacrifice, struggle, progress and solidarity, there is really only one way I can describe how I feel:

My heart is full….

God bless our ancestors!
God bless every ILA member and their families!
And may God continue to bless the International Longshoremen’s Association!

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ILA Education/History

1 day ago

Port Everglades
April 17, 1955

ILA Local 1526 members out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL move bales of cargo by hand on April 17, 1955.
Containerization would be introduced to the world exactly one year later in April of 1956.

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ILA Education/History

3 days ago

Port Houston, TX

ILA Local 24 member Juan Peña getting the job done on the docks at Barbours Cut Terminal at Port Houston, Texas.

“Back to working daytime shift. It sure is hot out here!! But we gotta take care this business!”

Thank you Brother Juan Peña!

Have a great weekend ILA Sisters and Brothers!!
Be safe!!
God Bless you all!!

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ILA Education/History

3 days ago

Port of NY/NY

ILA Local 1814 Longshoremen reporting for work on the Brooklyn waterfront
NYC
Year Unknown

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ILA Education/History

5 days ago

Port of NY/NJ

ILA/IBL ELECTION TAKES PLACE ON THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT IN MAY, 1954

ILA members wait in line on the Brooklyn waterfront to vote in the National Labor Relations Board Election in May of 1954.

The International Longshoremen’s Association defeated the International Brotherhood of Longshoremen on three different occasions, 1953, 1954 and 1956. The IBL was officially dissolved in 1959. These elections were extremely important to our union. The results of these elections would decide who would be the bargaining representative for waterfront workers.

If you notice in the photograph, there are police officers on site as it was a very tumultuous time when violence between the two unions could erupt at any moment.
In any event, the ILA prevailed and we aren’t going anywhere!!

We are the International Longshoremen’s Association.
We have been here since 1892 and we will always be here, united on the docks, from Maine to Texas, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, Eastern Canada and the Bahamas.

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ILA Education/History

5 days ago

ILA SISTERS AND BROTHERS!!
PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL:

ILA President Harold J. Daggett Achieves Success With Deeply Personal Goal Of Securing Generous Death Benefits For Families of ILA Members Killed on the Job

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.

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ILA Education/History

5 days ago

ILA Local 2070, Port of Chicago, Appeals For Support From Fellow ILA Members and Maritime Unions, To Save Their Jobs In Tough Jurisdictional Battle With Operating Engineers

CHICAGO, IL – (August 4, 2026) Dozens of members of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 2070 in the Port of Chicago are facing a multitude of challenges to retain their jobs at QSL, a terminal operator and stevedore located at the Iroquois Landing terminal facility. A vicious political campaign, launched by an Operating Engineers Local 150 in Chicago, is seeking to pressure local officials in the Windy City to terminate QSL’s lease, a retaliatory measure to punish ILA Local 2070 for successfully organizing workers at the QSL facility.
The Chicago based ILA Local 2070 is appealing for support from the entire rank-and-files membership of the International Longshoremen’s Association and all maritime unions, as it wages this campaign to save their jobs and the company that employs them.
Local 150 is trying to undo the recent success of the ILA organizing campaign with QSL employees with its all-out, crusade against the ILA and QSL. As part of its public smear campaign, Local 150 is calling for the Port District to terminate QSL’s lease—which will mean that these employees who have built careers and raised families working in the Port will be out of a job. It will also damage the City of Chicago economically, requiring the Port to shut down while a new licensed stevedore is located through an often protracted bidding process. This does not serve the people of Chicago; it only serves the interests of Local 150.
At the time the ILA was recognized as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of longshore workers at QSL’s marine terminal facilities in the Port of Chicago in November 2025, Operating Engineers Local 150 had publicly informed QSL that it had disclaimed any interest in representing QSL employees or seeking recognition from QSL.
For decades, the Operating Engineers had represented crane operators employed by a subcontractor at Iroquois Landing without showing any interest in organizing longshore workers at the facility, according to ILA General Organizer John D. Baker, who directed the organizing campaign at QSL with ILA Local 2070. Baker believes that when QSL recently canceled its lease with the subcontractor that employed the Local 150-represented crane operators, they seemed bent on revenge against QSL; and now the ILA longshoremen stand to suffer.
To counter the Operating Engineers ugly campaign, ILA Local 2070 members sent letters to Chicago City officials urging them to support QSL and ILA members.
“We are writing to respectfully ask that you reconsider the decision to close our workplace,” ILA Local 2070 members wrote. “This decision (to cancel QSL’s lease) affects not only the business, but also the dedicated employees who have devoted years of hard work, loyalty, and service. We have proudly worked at QSL for as long as 20 years. During that time, we have consistently worked hard to perform our jobs with professionalism, support our coworkers, and provide the best service possible. For us, this job is more than just a paycheck—it is how we provide for ourselves and our families.”
In their collective letter, ILA Local 2070 members described their gratitude for having the ILA represent them:
“Our voice was heard when we chose the ILA as our union. When we became ILA union
members, we understood we were investing in a better future for ourselves and our
coworkers. The union helped us achieve improved wages, better benefits, stronger
workplace protections, and a voice in matters that affect our jobs and our families. Those
improvements have made a meaningful difference in our lives. The ILA has also
strengthened the company’s commitment to the community, through our CBA, which
requires them to hire first from local applicants within your wards—our friends, family, and
neighbors.”
ILA Local 2070 officers and members are urging all ILA locals and maritime unions to show their support online for Local 2070 to demonstrate that they are not alone in fighting for their jobs and livelihoods against the Operating Engineers.
A copy to ILA Local 2070 members’ letter to Chicago officials and the ILA Organizing Department’s description of the Organizing Campaign and conflict with Operating Engineers Local 150 is attached. WE ASK THAT YOU SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY REPOSTING THESE TWO LETTERS TO YOUR OWN FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES ALONG WITH MESSAGES OF SUPPORT FOR THE EFFORTS OF YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHICAGO!!! THANK YOU!!!

ILA Local 2070 Letter From Membership
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ILA White Paper From Organizing Department
mmmpc-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/p/knanavati/IQAP9u1T83ftSrxRXfPp5XNuAUotHcd7naCH7chybLgr-g4?e=kageNW

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ILA Education/History

6 days ago

Port of Virginia
Hampton Roads

ILA LOCAL 970 PRESIDENT JONATHAN COLEY SWEARS IN THREE NEW MEMBERS AT UNION MEETING; MEMBERSHIP THANKFUL FOR DEATH BENEFIT

A message from ACD Vice President/ILA Local 970 President Jonathan Coley from last night’s meeting:

“We just wrapped up a very good membership meeting. Three new guys were sworn into the ILA tonight. Membership was very appreciative & thankful to President Harold Daggett & Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett for the recently announced 2 million dollar life insurance benefit.”

In photograph, ILA Local 970 President Jonathan Coley swears in the newest members of the local, left to right:
William Askew
Michael McKnight
Jae Damewood

**CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO THE ILA**

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ILA Education/History

6 days ago

Port of Baltimore

A heartfelt message from our ILA sisters and brothers as we mourn the loss of our union Brother David Deon Smith
🙏🙏🙏🙏

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