Education

ILA Education/History

19 hours ago

Port Houston, TX
September 29, 1936

ILA members working on the Houston waterfront during the fall of 1936.

The ILA was established in 1892.
In 1910, the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District was born as charters to cover ILA members at ports in the south and gulf were granted.

The original Port of Houston was located at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou in downtown Houston by the University of Houston–Downtown. This area is called “Allen’s Landing” and is now a park. It is the birthplace of the City of Houston.
Shipping points grew at multiple locations on Buffalo Bayou including the port of Harrisburg (now part of Houston) and the docks on the Allen Ranch. By the end of the 19th century Buffalo Bayou had become a major shipping channel with traffic beginning to rival Galveston.
The citizens of Harris County approved creation of the modern port in 1909, believing that an inland port would better serve the region after the destructive Galveston Hurricane of 1900. President Woodrow Wilson officially opened the port to traffic as the World Port of Houston and Buffalo Bayou on November 10, 1914. In the 1930s the Port became the focus of labor conflict, with sometimes intense battles between strikers and authorities, during the 1935 Gulf Coast longshoremen’s strike and the 1936 Gulf Coast maritime workers’ strike among other incidents.
By 1961, it was already among the busiest ports in the US. In 1977 the Port of Houston opened the Barbours Cut Terminal, Texas’ first cargo container terminal, at Morgan’s Point. This new terminal, in the Bay Area, quickly became the port’s most important terminal. The opening of the Bayport Terminal in 2006 further extended the port authority’s reach outside the city of Houston.

**Port Houston is the first port to have a direct shipment of cotton to Europe (November 1919)
**Port Houston is the first port to introduce the double-stack container train (1981)
**Port Houston is the first port to conduct air emissions testing of its off-road equipment (2000)

Today, Port Houston is an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the United States.

Photo Credit:
University of Houston
Digital Collection
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ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Port of Charleston

Good Morning ILA Sisters and Brothers from the Port of Charleston, South Carolina!

The International Longshoremen’s Association at the Port of Charleston:

ILA Local 1422
Deep Sea Longshore
President Kenny Riley

ILA Local 1422A
Maintenance & Repair
President Leonard Bailey

ILA Local 1771
Clerks and Checkers
President Lance McLaughlin

#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

3 days ago

Port of Virginia

ILA LOCAL 970 PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION AT 39TH ANNUAL GRAND ILLUMINATION PARADE IN NORFOLK, VA

ILA Local 970 President Jonathan Coley welcomes members and their families to the 39th Annual Grand Illumination Parade in Norfolk, VA. This annual event took place on November 22, 2025 and kicked off the holiday season as 65,000 people from across the city and the Hampton Roads region came out as a community to attend this long running holiday tradition.

Photo Credit:
ILA Local 970 President Jonathan Coley
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ILA Education/History

3 days ago

THE ENTIRE ILA FAMILY SENDS BIRTHDAY WISHES TO ATLANTIC COAST DISTRICT PRESIDENT MICHAEL J. VIGNERON!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Michael J. Vigneron is President of the Atlantic Coast District (ACD), International Longshoremen’s Association, a position he was first elected to in 2015 and re-elected in July 2019 and July 2023. The ACD includes all ports on the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Virginia; U.S. and Canadian ports of the Great Lakes; Eastern Canada; major U.S. rivers, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Since 1998, Vigneron has served on the ACD Executive Board, serving as a Vice President for 13 years prior to his elevation in July 2011 as General Vice President of the Atlantic Coast District at the District’s Quadrennial Convention in July 2011.
Vigneron is also Secretary-Treasurer of the ILA’s largest local, ILA Local 1804-1, which represents maintenance and repair ILA Longshore workers. He has been a member for over 40 years of Local 1804-1. Vigneron began his career as a longshoreman working as chassis mechanic at Global Terminals in June 1979. A year later, he moved to Sea-Land where his responsibilities expanded to include refrigerator mechanic and reefer foreman. At Sea-Land, Vigneron served as General Terminal Foreman from January 1990 until February 1996, when members of ILA Local 1804-1 elected him Shop Steward and Recording-Secretary.
Vigneron served as president of the New York-New Jersey District Council of the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO from 2006 to 2011. The District Council includes all ILA locals from the Port of New York and New Jersey and is responsible for protecting the contractual rights of ILA members within the District. He had previously served as Recording Secretary since 1998.
For nearly four decades, Vigneron has served as Wage Scale delegate in negotiations with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX); New York Shipping Association (NYSA) and Metropolitan Marine Maintenance Contractors Association (METRO). He serves as ILA International Trustee on the union’s health care plan, called MILA. ILA President Harold Daggett appointed Vigneron to the ILA’s Container Freight Station and Container Royalty Committees. ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

3 days ago

Port of San Juan, PR

ILA LOCAL 1740

GOOD MORNING ILA SISTERS AND BROTHERS FROM THE PORT OF SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO!!

SAFETY ON THE DOCKS!!
SOLIDARITY FOREVER!!
🇵🇷🇺🇸

Photo Credit:
Joseph Caro
ILA Local 1740
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ILA Education/History

4 days ago

DANISH SHIPPING UNION BOSS OLE PHILIPSEN, WHO WAS PIVOTAL DURING THE ILA’S DISPUTE AGAINST ØRSTED, HAS PAST AWAY AFTER A SHORT AND SUDDEN ILLNESS

A MESSAGE FROM ITF REPRESENTATIVE/ILA LOCAL 1804-1 BUSINESS AGENT BILLY HARTIGAN:

“Ole Philipsen, who lead the ITF offshore wind task force and was pivotal in the ILA’s Orsted dispute, has died. We would not have succeeded in that fight without him. The ILA sends out their sincere condolences to Ole’s family, friends and colleagues. He was brilliant, honest and a monumental figure in the maritime industry and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.”

FROM TRADE WINDS NEWS:
Danish shipping union boss Ole Philipsen has died after a short and sudden illness.

The chairman of both Metal Maritime and union umbrella organisation CO-Sofart was described as “deeply respected” in the industry by colleagues.
The long-serving union leader died on Wednesday, Metal Maritime said.

Metal Maritime technical manager Christian Petersen said: “It is a huge loss for Metal Maritime and CO-Sofart, but also for the entire shipping industry, where Ole Philipsen has left a huge mark throughout his long career.”
Petersen made the announcement on the union website “with deep sadness”.

He added: “Ole Philipsen was a strong, energetic and respected chairman, and at the same time a much-loved leader for the employees of Metal Maritime.

“For almost 30 years, Ole has had a great influence on the entire maritime industry in Denmark, and not least on the conditions and rights of seafarers.”

Internationally, Philipsen was an influential voice for seafarers and offshore employees.
Throughout his long career, he fought many battles to improve conditions at sea.

Metal Maritime is the Danish union that represents members working at sea, particularly those on offshore and maritime vessels under the Danish flag. It is an affiliate of the larger Danish union, Dansk Metal. ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

4 days ago

Port of NY/NJ

THE NEW YORK EXPRESS ARRIVES IN THE CITY SHE’S NAMED AFTER AND THE ILA WILL BE ON THE NY/NJ DOCKS TO WELCOME HER INTO OUR PORT

Photo Credit:
Hapag-Lloyd media pages
Thank you!

Big city. Big vessel. One name says it all. 🚢🗽

In this photo the “New York Express” arrives in the city she’s named after – with the skyline of Manhattan rising in the distance.

Thousands of containers, crossing oceans, entering one of the world’s busiest ports.

Where global trade meets the city that never sleeps.

What’s the most impressive port you’ve ever visited or seen? 👇 ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

5 days ago

Port of Boston

ILA GETS A LATE AFTERNOON START AT THE PORT OF BOSTON

As the sun sets at the Port of Boston, the International Longshoremen’s Association has late afternoon start for the men and women of Boston Locals 799, 800, 805, 1066, and 1604. The MSC Monica Cristina is a two year old container ship with a length of 1,200 feet and the capacity of 15,000 teu’s.

**ILA…UNSTOPPABLE**

Photo Credit:
Eugene Stancato, Vice President, ILA Local 800
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ILA Education/History

5 days ago

Port of Tampa

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY TO ILA LOCAL 1402 OUT OF THE PORT OF TAMPA, FL

Happy Birthday ILA Sisters and Brothers of ILA Local 1402!!

ILA Local 1402 was granted a charter as members of the International Longshoremen’s Association 90 years ago today on December 3, 1935.

From the ILA Local 1402 Executive Board and Membership:
“We honor the life, legacy, and longevity of this great union. We stand on the shoulders of giants who built the foundation for 90 years of strength, solidarity, and service.” ... See MoreSee Less