This education link has been set up to keep all ILA members informed of what’s taking place in our industry; past and present. This site will include articles, stories, photographs and videos. At times, some of the videos will include training and be educational. Other times, we will take a look into our past and learn more and more about the history of this union and how it was built into what it is today.
ILA Education/History
OFFICIAL ILA EDUCATION/HISTORY PAGE ENDORSED BY OUR INTERNATIONAL
Never forget the sacrifices ILA members made to build our great union into what it is today
San Antonio, TX
ILA SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
DAY 3
ILA Local 1504-8 President/SAGCD Vice President Rodney Priestley delivers opening prayer on Day 3 of the SAGCD Educational Conference in San Antonio,TX.
Priestley is joined on stage by ILA Local 1526 President/SAGCD Vice President Johnnie Dixon and ILA International Vice President Eloy Cortez.
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PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ILA INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT DENNIS A. DAGGETT:
Invest in People over Robotics
Around the globe, ocean carriers and terminal operators are aggressively pushing automation and artificial intelligence into ports and logistics hubs. These investments are often sold to the public as progress, faster cargo, cleaner terminals, higher productivity. But beneath the glossy presentations and consultant reports lies a far more troubling reality. Job killing technologies are hollowing out our communities, distorting productivity metrics, and threatening the economic foundation of future generations.
This is not an anti technology argument. Dockworkers, logistics workers, and transport workers have always adapted to change. Containerization itself was a massive technological leap, and labor evolved with it. The difference today is intent. Much of the current push for automation is not about safety, resilience, or efficiency. It is about removing people from the equation altogether.
The Productivity Myth
One of the most misleading claims used to justify full or semi automation is higher productivity. But productivity compared to what, and under what conditions.
Automated terminals are frequently benchmarked against pure transshipment hubs, where cargo is discharged from one vessel and loaded directly onto another. These terminals do not deal with truck gates. They do not manage local logistics. They do not handle chassis pools, rail interfaces, or appointment systems. They do not face the same regulatory, customs, or labor environments.
Comparing those terminals to gateway ports that serve domestic economies is fundamentally dishonest.
A gateway terminal must process tens of thousands of truck moves per day. Rail intermodal connections. Local distribution networks. Real time human problem solving when systems fail.
When productivity is measured purely as moves per crane hour or boxes per acre, the human complexity of these operations is ignored. You are not comparing like with like. You are comparing two completely different business models.
There has never been a comprehensive, independent global study measuring productivity that accounts for truck gate congestion, labor reliability, equipment downtime, cyber vulnerability, weather disruptions, and system overrides required in automated environments.
Until that happens, claims of superior productivity remain selective statistics designed to justify labor elimination.
The Astronomical Cost of Automation
Fully automated terminals require billions of dollars in capital expenditure. Automated stacking cranes. Automated guided vehicles. Complex software ecosystems. Redundant power and data infrastructure. Cybersecurity systems to defend against constant threats.
This is not cheap, and those costs do not disappear.
To recoup these investments, companies inevitably look for one thing. Cutting labor costs. Jobs are eliminated. Headcounts shrink. Skills are devalued. Communities that once supported middle class families are left with fewer pathways to economic stability.
Meanwhile, these same companies report record profits, quarter after quarter, year after year.
At some point, a serious question must be asked. When is it enough.
The Role of Port Authorities and the Cost of Doing Business
Port Authorities also play a major role in hurting our industry and our communities.
Take the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as an example. This agency is supposed to function as a landlord port authority. Instead, through recent terminal lease agreements, it has positioned itself as a financial burden that directly threatens volume growth and competitiveness in the region.
Today, the price of operating in the Port of New Jersey is now approaching two billion dollars. On top of that, Marine Terminal Operators are responsible for berth repairs, purchasing all cargo handling equipment, and funding every capital improvement necessary to expand or modernize a terminal.
These costs are not absorbed in a vacuum.
They do not just hurt the hardworking men and women of the ILA. They hurt the citizens and consumers who live in our state and our region.
This is a highly competitive global business. When the cost of doing business in the Port of New York and New Jersey becomes a major disadvantage compared to other ports, freight does not disappear. It simply moves elsewhere.
That cargo is then railed or trucked back into our state and region.
And who absorbs that cost.
The citizens. The daily consumers. Families already struggling with inflation, rising housing costs, and higher prices for basic goods.
Poor port policy does not punish corporations. It punishes people.
The Social Consequences No One Wants to Talk About
Some tech leaders, including Elon Musk, openly talk about a future built on Universal Basic Income, suggesting that mass automation will require governments to support displaced workers indefinitely.
But this vision ignores a basic truth. People want dignity, purpose, and the ability to provide for their families, not dependency.
Commerce may continue to move, but who will be buying the products if millions can no longer earn a living wage. What happens to local tax bases, public schools, small businesses, housing markets, and generational skills passed down through families.
A society where people are consumers but not contributors is not progress. It is managed decline.
Invest in People Not Replacement
There is a better path forward.
Technology should assist workers, not replace them. Improve safety, not eliminate jobs. Enhance efficiency without destroying livelihoods. Keep human decision making at the center of operations.
Automation that removes workers entirely increases cyber risk, system fragility, national security vulnerabilities, and operational failures during crises.
Human workers provide adaptability, judgment, and resilience that no algorithm can replicate.
A Call to Action
We cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend this problem will solve itself. It will not.
Workers everywhere must unite across borders and industries. Demand transparency in how productivity is measured. Push for independent studies on the economic and social impact of job killing technologies. Hold legislators and port authorities accountable for protecting jobs, communities, and regional competitiveness.
Ports are not just industrial assets. They are economic lifelines.
The decisions being made today will determine what kind of society we leave to future generations.
This moment demands courage.
This moment demands unity.
Our time is now!
Submitted by:
Dennis A. Daggett
#internationallongshoremensassociation
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Dennis, you are absolutely correct. Even with the greatest Master Contract we fought for which includes strong anti automation language,it’s an ongoing challenge to protect our livelihood. We have to stay focused and vigilant in order to survive in the future. I know where you stand Dennis. Thank you for your leadership.
My daddy fought the Teamsters and we will fight Automation. Holding down the jobs for our kids and grandkids.
Powerful words, as always! Thank you for always protecting the rank and file! Every ILA member in every port needs to put protection on the jobs. Efficient hard work will be the first line of defense against automation.
This is a Wake Up Call ! That should Echo throughout the World ! Not only in Our Industry but all industries !  It truly is Common sense ,  to give back the people their dignity and integrity and pass skills on from generation to generation was Always the intentions of past generations.  And to stop the disease of greed at these corporations That have no conscience just focus on the profits ! They must understand we are not just numbers. We are living and breathing assets that help make this world a place worth living for , and We can coexist with progress ! Cause in Reality without Us all their profits are worthless . 
These are scary times we are living in Dennis When they put job killing automation over humans,keeping up the Good Fight the I.L.A. Thank you Den you are Definitely not a chip but have Grown to a GIANT CHUNK off the old block❤️
100 percent agree. Tech should support workers, not replace them. Ports work because of people.
East coast leading the way in the fight against automation! 💪
It’s time to teach them exactly how united we are!
So well written! I believe if people are smart enough to understand but refuse to take the time and responsibility and absorb information like this it’s  ignorant! I hope that anyone who understands this extremely important information share on their multimedia pages.
Great work Brother Dennis Daggett💙⚓️🩵✊🏿✊🏻‼️
Well said! This is a critical point in time, socially and economically. This issue needs serious consideration!! Thank you Dennis for keeping it front and center
Thank you for leading the way and keeping us informed!! You are right enough is enough and now it’s our time!! Their time is over!!! Let’s go! ILA ALL THE WAY!!! 🙏🏻❤️💪🏻🇺🇸
You can fight all you want it'll eventually be all automation no matter what. Its very unfortunate, but thats the way we're heading.
Stand STRONG UNION 💪
Union strong!
Thank You for keeping us informed and for never backing down💪🏻
💪🏻
Well said and very accurate in deed!!!
Very well said. Thank you Dennis A. Daggett.
Amen!
Great information!! Thank you Dennis for always being so informative!! we will not let automation take over!! 💪👏💯
Well written.
Good Job Brother Dennis!
A great sentiment... That is completely undermined when it is posted alongside an image that was created by AI.
Thank you Dennis!!
San Antonio, TX
ILA LEADERS ATTEND SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE AT THE JW MARRIOTT IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
The South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District (SAGCD) is hosting the 2026 SAGCD Educational Conference this week through Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, TX. This conference is bringing together leadership from across the district and the ILA for four days of focused learning, discussion, and connection. The conference is designed specifically for internal leadership development and will provide practical tools to help leaders strengthen their locals and better serve their members.
Throughout the week, participants will take part in interactive sessions, panel discussions, and open conversations designed to meet leaders at every stage of their experience.
Programming will center on four core themes: Strengthening Our Foundation; Strong Leadership, Strong Locals; Future Focus, and Safety First. Planned topics include contract negotiations, leadership culture and compliance, officer responsibilities, technology and efficiency, PAC and COPE updates, succession planning, retirement and defined contribution education, and navigating federal agency guidance. The conference will conclude with a dedicated focus on safety, reinforcing its critical role in protecting our membership.
In photograph, right to left:
James McNamara, ILA Chief of Staff
Michael Vigneron, ACD President/ILA Local 1804-1 Secretary Treasurer
John Daggett, ACD General Vice President/ILA Local 1804-1 Vice President
Virgil Maldonado, ILA International Vice President/ILA Local 1588 President
Dennis A. Daggett, ILA International Executive Vice President/ILA Local 1804-1 President
Jordi Aragunde, IDC Labor Coordinator
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San Antonio, TX
ILA CHIEF OF STAFF JAMES MCNAMARA PROUDLY LEADS THE DELEGATION IN RECITING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AT DAY 2 OF THE ILA SAGCD EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO, TX
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San Antonio, TX
ILA INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANT GENERAL ORGANIZER JAMES PAYLOR KICKS OFF DAY 2 OF THE ILA SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO, TX
Jim Paylor, Assistant General Organizer, International Longshoremen’s Association, opens the second day of the ILA’s South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District Educational Conference. Paylor led the discussion on “Culture, Leadership, and Compliance: Leading the Right Way.”
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
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I advise anyone who has an opportunity to speak with Jim Paylor to take it; he is a wealth of knowledge. I am fortunate in the past few years to have had opportunities to participate in meetings with Brother Paylor! He is extremely well spoken. Other than the Eagles, the Flyers, the Phillies, & the Sixers, Philly strong!!!
Paylor a gentleman ✊
San Antonio, TX
ILA SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
From left to right:
ILA International Vice President Eloy Cortez, South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District President Alan Robb and International General Vice President Wilbert Rowell discuss ILA business, history and what’s to come for our union at the SAGCD Educational Conference at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, Texas.
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Kenny Oelkers, Director of ILA Education/History, Delivers Powerful History of International Longshoremen's Association at ILA's South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District's Educational Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Brother Oelkers described the ILA's historic year in 2025 when USMX-ILA Master Contract was signed; Twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebrations of ILA's Charleston Five and the formation of the International IDC International Dockworkers Council occurred in Charleston, South Carolina; and historic Anti-Automation Conference and signing of Global Maritime Agreement took place in Lisbon, Portugal.
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My Man 🤙🏽
San Antonio, TX
ILA SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
ILA International Vice President Eloy Cortez takes the stage at the SAGCD Educational Conference at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, Texas.
#internationallongshoremensassociation
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Great job Eloy!! Thanks for the hard work!!
👊🏻
Solidarity ILA! 💪🏾
San Antonio, TX
ILA SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
ILA South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District President Alan Robb opens the SAGCD Educational Conference at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, Texas.
#internationallongshoremensassociation
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Who are invited?
ILA Strong💪🏾
ILA Strong! 💪🏾
THE SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF COAST DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE
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