Education

ILA Education/History

17 hours ago

ILA INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HAROLD J. DAGGETT TO LEAD ANTI-AUTOMATION CONFERENCE ON NOVEMBER 5-6, 2025 IN LISBON, PORTUGAL

In two weeks, ILA International President Harold J. Daggett will address Maritime Union leaders from around the world at the People Over Profit: Anti-Automation Conference on November 5-6, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.
The ILA leader has been an outspoken advocate against any kind of automation that is a threat to taking dockworkers jobs and replacing them with machines or robots on the waterfront for decades.
As job losses continue to increase as a result of automation and threaten the livelihoods of people in the United States and around the world, President Daggett has called on the world to take notice and take action now.
He has said many times that the maritime unions and the entire world needs to be educated on the devastating effects of what automation can do to families and their communities.
President Daggett is encouraging union delegates from around the world to attend and participate in this upcoming historic conference.

DAGGETT MAKES HISTORY ON MASTER CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH USMX THAT INCLUDES NO AUTOMATION AT ILA PORTS

On March 11, 2025, Harold J. Daggett and the ILA made history that was heard around the world when he served the membership as the chief negotiator of the master contract agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance. This agreement was ratified by the rank and file at an incredible 98% approval rating.
What made this contract even more historic is the language in the agreement that clearly states that there is to be no automation or semi-automation at any ILA port from Maine to Texas for the duration of the contract, which is until September 30, 2030. ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Port of Baltimore

PORT OF BALTIMORE GIVES A SHOUT OUT TO THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION

POST SHARED TO US BY THE PORT OF BALTIMORE…..THANK YOU!!

A record day for the Port of Baltimore!

On October 14, 2025, we handled 4,438 trucks at our Seagirt container terminal, the most ever in one day.

Great teamwork Ports America Chesapeake, International Longshoremen’s Association and Maryland Motor Truck Association! ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Port of NY/NJ

Incredible photograph of Maher Terminals, Port Elizabeth, NJ

As this October weekend comes to a close, we are wishing all of our ILA sisters and brothers to have a safe upcoming week on the docks!
Be safe!!
God Bless! ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Have you ever been in a crane this high up?
Longshoremen move the world’s cargo from this view at ILA ports on a daily basis.
We are the International Longshoremen’s Association. Established 1892.
Maine to Texas, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, Eastern Canada and the Bahamas.
Check out this amazing photograph high up in the cranes.

Photo Credit:
Jeff Williams
Hamilton, Ontario
Thank You!! ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

4 days ago

Port of NY/NJ
January 23, 1963

ILA STRIKE CRIPPLES PORTS ON THE EAST AND GULF COASTS OF THE UNITED STATES

ILA MEMBERS COME OUT TO VOTE ON A NEW CONTRACT ON MANHATTAN’S WEST SIDE PIERS IN NEW YORK CITY

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association vote on a proposed settlement after a dockworkers strike took place that has crippled the Atlantic and Gulf Coast shipping industry for more than a month.
ILA members at other ports up and down the coast were also slated to vote on the ratification of the new two year contract proposal on January 24, 1963.

**ILA HISTORY** ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

5 days ago

Port of NY/NJ
Red Hook Terminal
Brooklyn, NY

ILA LOCAL 1814 MEMBERS AT RED HOOK TERMINAL ARE RECOGNIZED AND AWARDED BY THE SHIPPING ASSOCIATION OF NJ/NJ FOR THE LOWEST LOST TIME ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AT THE PORT OF NY/NJ

Representatives from the Shipping Association of NY/NJ presented an award today at Red Hook Terminal for the lowest lost time accident frequency in the Port of NY & NJ to ILA Local 1814 members and Ports America.

**CONGRATULATIONS**

In photograph, left to right, are:
Christopher Kelly, Ports America
Rocco Cinardi, Shop Steward, ILA Local 1814
Matteo Longobardi, Foreman, ILA Local 1814
Sharon Monahan (Director of training and safety SANYNJ)
David Alvarez (Ports America)
Franklin Gomez, ILA Local 1814,Foreman
Brendan Varon, ILA Local 1814, Assistant Foreman
Robert Piccolo, ILA Local 1814, Assistant Foreman
Russell Amato, Local 1814
Gabriel Rodriguez, ILA Local 1814, Foreman
Sandra Vasquez, SA NY/NJ, Training Center

Photo Credit and information sent to us by:
Rocco Cinardi, ILA Local 1814 Shop Steward, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
Thank You!!

**ILA PRIDE**
**ILA SAFETY** ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

6 days ago

Port Houston
ILA Local 24

ILA LOCAL 24 STANDS IN SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORTS OUR ILWU SISTERS AND BROTHERS ON THE WEST COAST!!

Photo Credit:
ILA Local 24 President Gabriel Garza
Thank You!! ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

6 days ago

Port of NY/NJ
October 15, 2025

ILA LOCAL 1804-1 IS WELL REPRESENTED AT THE WATERFRONT ALLIANCE HEROES OF THE HARBOR DINNER IN NYC

ILA Local 1804-1 members attend “The Heroes of the Harbor Dinner” at The City Winery in NYC.
The three recipient’s of the Heroes of the Harbor this evening were:

John Atkins, CEO, Port Liberty Terminals

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Meadowlands & Hudson River Rebuild by Design Projects

Chuck Nice, Comedian

In photograph, representing the ILA, left to right, are:
Paul Moe, Jr. Local 1804-1, RTG Foreman, APM
Bobby Rispoli, Local 1804-1, Master Foreman, Maher Terminals
Billy Hartigan, Business Agent, ILA Local 1804-1
Brian Porter, Local 1804-1, TIR, Maher Terminals ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

6 days ago

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT LETTER AND MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HAROLD J. DAGGETT

ILA President Harold Daggett Expresses “Unwavering Support and Solidarity” In Letter To ILWU Members Following California Governor Gavin Newsom’s “Disgraceful Veto” of Bill To Protect Longshore Workers Against Public Funding of Port Automated Equipment

NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (October 15, 2025) ILA President Harold Daggett came out swinging today in a strongly worded letter of support and solidarity with the officers and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, after California Governor Gavin Newsom turned his back on working men and women and vetoed a bi-partisan bill (SB 34) that would have prohibited public tax money to fund port automated equipment.
“With all the dysfunction in politics today, SB 34 stood out as a rare moment of bipartisan unity to protect working families,” wrote ILA President Harold Daggett to the ILWU. “Yet the Governor chose to side with the corporations and lobbyists, rather than with the people who build, move, and sustain this country.” ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

1 week ago

International Longshoremen’s Association Slams California Governor Gavin Newsom For Vetoing Bill That Protected Longshore Workers From Public Funded Automation

​NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (October 14, 2025) This week the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have restricted ocean carriers and terminal operators from using public funds for the purchase of automated equipment. The Senate Bill (SB 34) enjoyed strong support from California Republicans and Democrats and passed in the State’s house and senate. The ILA regards this as a direct attack by Gov. Newsome on Organized Labor and especially, the members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and ILA.
​The International Longshoremen’s Association issued the following statement regarding Gov. Newsome’s vicious attack on Longshore Workers and in support of the ILWU:

“This week should have been of celebration for our brothers and sisters of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU); a victory for American workers who move the goods that power this country. Instead, it’s another gut punch. Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Senate Bill 34 (SB 34), a bill that would have protected middle class port jobs, ensured responsible use of taxpayer funds, and set a national example for how technology can be managed without displacing workers.

By rejecting SB 34, the Governor has chosen the side of foreign ocean carriers and corporate lobbyists over the working men and women who keep California’s ports, and America’s economy, running. This veto isn’t just a political decision; it’s a betrayal of the very people who built the ports that made California a global trade hub.

SB 34 was a rational, balanced, bipartisan bill. It passed with strong Democratic and Republican support in California because it stood for something simple: protecting jobs and using taxpayer money responsibly. The legislation would have prohibited public funds from being used to automate jobs away. The bill made clear that taxpayer money should not be used to “require, incentivize, encourage, or otherwise promote the use of automated, remotely controlled, or remotely operated equipment.” In other words, if terminal operators want to automate, they must use their own private capital, not public subsidies, to do it. That’s not anti-innovation; that’s common sense.

It also stopped harmful regulatory overreach. SB 34 blocked the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) from imposing arbitrary “cargo caps” or operational limits at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach until 2031. Such measures would have strangled California’s supply chain, jeopardized port jobs, and driven cargo and revenue to less-regulated states.

SB 34 wasn’t about rolling back climate goals or resisting change. It was about responsible modernization, ensuring that technological progress doesn’t trample the working class or undermine America’s economic backbone.

Governor Newsom’s veto of SB 34 is more than disappointing - it’s revealing. In the weeks leading up to his decision, The Politico reported that West Coast employers hired one of the Governor’s close personal friends as a lobbyist to influence his office. The timing couldn’t be clearer: corporate interests fought hard to kill this bill, and they succeeded.

Let’s call it what it is, a sellout. The Governor has sided with global shipping conglomerates, many of which are foreign owned, over American dockworkers who live, pay taxes, and raise families in the very communities his decision hurts. These companies aren’t struggling mom-and-pop operations. They’re multibillion-dollar giants that made record profits during the pandemic off the backs of the men and women who risked their health to keep the supply chain moving.

When a state uses taxpayer money to subsidize automation that replaces human labor, it’s not innovation, it’s corporate welfare. And when an elected official enables that process, it’s not leadership, it’s capitulation.

For longshore workers, this bill represented something much larger than regulatory reform. It was a model for the nation and proof that we can balance progress and fairness, technology and humanity, climate responsibility and economic justice. That’s right, choosing people over profits. People over job killing technologies.

SB 34 would have protected middle class jobs and the communities that depend on them. It ensured transparency and accountability in how environmental policies are implemented. And it sent a clear message that California’s prosperity must not come at the expense of its workers.

Instead, by vetoing this bill, Governor Newsom sent a dangerous signal that political influence and corporate lobbying carry more weight than working families. This veto undermines not only the ILWU but every American worker fighting to stay relevant in an economy increasingly dominated by automation and artificial intelligence.

Just last week, a New York Post article warned that artificial intelligence could eliminate over 100 million jobs within a decade. That’s not science fiction. That’s the real trajectory of our economy if left unchecked.

Technology should assist human beings, not replace them. Yet the pattern is unmistakable: corporations invest in automation not to improve safety or efficiency, but to cut labor costs and maximize profits. Whether it’s self-driving trucks, automated cranes, or automated yard equipment, the story is always the same fewer jobs, less accountability, and more corporate control.

That’s why International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold J. Daggett has spearheaded the upcoming Global Anti-Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal next month. This historic event will bring together dockworkers and union leaders from around the world to address the existential threat of automation. Because this isn’t just an American challenge, it’s a global fight for the soul of the working class.

Job-killing technologies must be regulated, not celebrated. Workers must be part of the conversation and not casualties of it.

Governor Newsom had a chance to stand with the workers who have kept California’s economy alive through war, recession, pandemics, and supply chain crises. Instead, he sided with billion-dollar corporations that view labor as a line item and people as disposable. His veto wasn’t inevitable; it was intentional. And history will remember it that way.

SB 34 may be dead for now, but the movement behind it is not. The ILWU and the International Longshoremen’s Association will continue to fight for legislation that protects jobs, regulates automation, and ensures that working-class people are not sacrificed in the name of “progress.”

For nearly a century, longshore workers have powered the growth of this nation’s trade and economy. We’ve adapted to change before, from the introduction of containerization to the evolution of modern logistics. But one thing we will never adapt to is being erased by machines while politicians look the other way.

California had the opportunity to lead the nation in proving that progress and people can coexist. Instead, the Governor chose profit over principle. But this story isn’t over, because the dockworkers of America and the world are not done fighting.

In the end, SB 34 was never just about ports. It was about priorities, and whether we value human work or corporate greed. The Governor made his choice. Now, it’s up to us to make ours. ... See MoreSee Less