Education

ILA Education/History

1 day ago

THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION HONORS AND RECOGNIZES ALL WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES!
HAPPY VETERANS DAY! ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

1 day ago

Lisbon, Portugal

ILA leaders International President Harold J. Daggett and Executive Vice President Dennis A. Daggett take a moment to meet up with Master Sergeant At Arms Bobby Rispoli and his team at the Anti- Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ILA INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT DENNIS A. DAGGETT

The Lisbon Summit has been called historic. It was special for so many reasons. These are my true feelings from the heart:

The importance of Solidarity and Internationalism in a Changing World

We work in a unique industry, one unlike any other. Our employers are the same globally. The stevedores and ocean carriers who operate in all parts of the world are interconnected, moving the world’s commerce through every major port on the planet. But what makes our industry truly unique is not just its global reach, it’s the people who make it work: dockworkers, longshoremen, seafarers, marine engineers, master mates and pilots, mechanics, clerks& checkers, and every maritime worker who moves the world’s cargo safely and efficiently, day after day.

Today, that very workforce stands on the front lines of a global struggle, one that transcends borders, cultures, and languages. It’s a fight against the unchecked rise of automation and job killing technology. And if dockworkers and maritime workers take the lead in this fight, maybe other industries manufacturing, transportation, logistics, healthcare, and even so-called white collar sectors will follow.

Because this isn’t just about longshore and maritime jobs. It’s about human jobs. It’s about protecting purpose, dignity, and community in an era where employers are using artificial intelligence to study human behavior with one goal to replace it.

AI isn’t simply a tool anymore, it’s becoming the new master. It’s observing how humans think, move, and solve problems, so that one day it can do it all without us. That’s not progress; that’s erasure. A move towards extinction.

What happens when work disappears? When there are very few workers left? Economies will collapse under the weight of lost wages and broken communities. Will governments respond by taxing the ultra rich and creating a universal basic income to keep people afloat? If so, what kind of future is that?

A generation without purpose, without contribution, without identity? A society that replaces the pride of work with a monthly allowance? A Universal Basic Income? What will the world look like then? So no sense of purpose or trying to explore the world to find your purpose in this life. That’s not advancement, that’s decay. That’s the destruction of real communities and economies. A society that looks more like the Walking Dead.

This is the most critical moment in modern human history to fight back, to fight for purpose, for dignity, and for the right to work. Even if you think automation or AI won’t affect your job, think again. It may not touch you today, but it’s coming tomorrow. And when it does, it won’t discriminate between blue collar and white collar.

That’s why we call on all workers, every trade unionist, every professional, every person who values their role in society, to stand together. Put political differences aside. Join forces. Because division is exactly what the employers want. They bank on it, literally!

You can’t chant solidarity but then not show up when it matters most. That’s the worst form of hypocrisy. You can’t whisper solidarity in the shadows or preach it from a distance but stay home when there’s a rally, meeting, or cause that needs your voice or support.

If you’re afraid to stand up because of internal politics, then you’re not serving the people you were elected to represent. You’re serving yourself, but only in fear.

We all took an oath when we were elected. I take that oath very seriously. That oath isn’t about comfort, convenience, or keeping the peace, it’s about responsibility. It’s about putting the best interests of our members first and foremost, above our personal views, opinions, politics, or internal politics.

We may not all see eye to eye on every political or social issue, and that’s fine. But this movement, this fight against job killing technology, is bigger than any one of us. It’s about representing the men and women who built this industry and defending the generations still to come.

The employers, the governments, and the corporations love to see us divided. They count on it. Division has been their favorite weapon for thousands of years. They know that when we’re fighting each other, we’re not fighting them.

But we have a chance to break that cycle. We have a chance to do something historic, to come together with one voice, one mission, and one purpose. This isn’t about agendas or egos. It’s about protecting work, protecting dignity, and protecting the future of every worker who comes after us.

I truly believe those of us who gathered in Lisbon this past week understand what true solidarity means. It’s not just a slogan, it’s a living, a breathing force. It’s about taking action together. Standing shoulder to shoulder. Refusing to let our value as human beings be written out of the equation.

This movement isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about survival. It’s about honoring our ancestors who built unions, industries, the ports, and the communities that gave us opportunity. And it’s about protecting our children and grandchildren from a world that risks losing its soul.

We can’t allow technology to rob humanity of its meaning. We can’t allow greed to masquerade as innovation or progress. The fight for the future of work begins here. It begins with us. It has to!!

Our time is now, and it would be a damn shame if we didn’t take advantage of our collective power while we still can!

Some things are worth dying for.
Purpose! Dignity! Solidarity! Especially, our children and grandchildren’s future…. ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Lisbon, Portugal

ILA LOCAL 1588 MEMBER ISAIAS FRANCO IS FRONT AND CENTER ON THE PICKET LINES IN LISBON, PORTUGAL

FRANCO JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN LISBON FOR THE ANTI-AUTOMATION CONFERENCE AND HE DID NOT HESITATE TO JOIN IN ON THE PROTEST FOR BETTER LABOR WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS AS SOON AS HE HAD KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE

From the Associated Press, November 8, 2025:
Tens of thousands of people in Lisbon took to the streets Saturday to protest labor reforms. The protest was organized by the country’s main labor union and are aimed at improving productivity and flexibility in the job market. ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

2 days ago

Lisbon, Portugal

This is what worldwide solidarity looks like!

The Maritime Union of Australia comes out in a full force as a large delegation of dockworkers traveled half way around the world to fully support the Anti-Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal

**ILA**
**MUA**
**IDC** ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

3 days ago

Lisbon, Portugal

As the Lisbon Summit…People Over Profit: Anti-Automation Conference comes to a conclusion and dockworker delegates and labor leaders travel back to their home ports from all around the world, the IDC Labor Coordinator Jordi Aragunde leaves us with a powerful closing quote: ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

3 days ago

A MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL

With Global Maritime Alliance Success Achieved In Lisbon, Portugal, Harold J. Daggett Cements His Legacy As Most Effective and Influential President In ILA History

LISBON, PORTUGAL (November 9, 2025) In the decade and a half as International President of the 85,000-member International Longshoremen’s Association, Harold J. Daggett has achieved remarkable success for both his rank-and-file ILA members working at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, Eastern Canada and the Bahamas; and for dockworkers around the world. As the architect and force behind this week’s successful Global Maritime Alliance that unites hundreds of thousands of dockworkers around the world to collectively fight off job killing automation, coupled with the three landmark ILA-USMX Master Contract Agreements he won in 2012, 2018 and 2024 as the union’s Chief Negotiator, Daggett clearly cements his legacy as the most effective and influential leader in the ILA’s 133 year history and the voice and the power of global dockworkers.
This Queens, New York native and a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, could hardly envision the life and career ahead of him when he joined the ILA and Local 1804-1 in 1967, following his return from active military duty. But in nearly six decades since, Harold Daggett has forged a path of success throughout his inspired career that culminated this past Thursday when global dockworker union leaders answered his call to form a Global Maritime Alliance and achieve the same success at halting erosion of longshore jobs because of automation for dockworkers around the world, that he won for his ILA members last year.
The ILA leader convinced his fellow global dockworker union leaders that a global response to the threat of automation, must be met with forceful job action, including striking shipping companies that refuse to yield to dockworker demands to stop destroying jobs, families and futures through unnecessary port automation.
“The ILA longshore workers continue to out-perform any and all automated equipment,” President Daggett has said multiple times, arguing the case that companies should be investing in their workforce rather than expensive and unreliable automated equipment.
At Wednesday’s opening session, the ILA President articulated how members of the Global Maritime Alliance will respond to automation.
“If sacrifices are required to block automation, we must be willing to make them. If enduring hardships are needed to achieve our goal of no automation on the waterfront, we must be willing to endure them, President Daggett said. “Remember, these will be selective job actions against the companies that defy us.”
He further spelled out the dockworker’s battle plan in his closing remarks on Thursday. “We must be strong, we must be united, and we must be committed to take on this challenge together and never surrender,” Daggett told the almost one thousand docker and maritime workers present at the “People Ove Profits: Anti-Automation Conference” just prior to the official ratification of the “Lisbon Summit Resolution” that codifies the creation of the Global Maritime Alliance.
The ILA and the International Dockworkers Council (IDC) organized the Lisbon Summit, and the two IDC echoed Harold Daggett’s forceful message.
“Throughout the summit, delegates examined evidence and real-world data proving what workers have known all along, human labor is more productive, more reliable, and far safer than any machine,” said Dennis A. Daggett, the IDC General Coordinator and ILA Executive Vice President. “Studies presented showed that so-called ‘fully automated’ terminals consistently fall short in performance and depend daily on manual intervention to function. The myth of automation as “innovation” was shattered.”
“Automation in our ports is not an abstract threat — it tears apart communities, destroys stable livelihoods, and replaces generations of skill, pride, and human judgment with machines that answer only to profit,” said Jordi Aragunde Miguens, the IDC Labor Coordinator. “It risks turning our docks into silent, empty corridors where once there was life, teamwork, and the heartbeat of working-class families. We refuse to let that be our future.’
The person that global dockworkers will be looking to lead them on this challenging mission will be Harold J. Daggett. His oldest son, Dennis, has perhaps the clearest and closest perspective of the elder Daggett’s strengths and ability.
Commenting after the historic Lisbon Summit, Dennis Daggett noted: “I first want to thank ILA President, Harold J. Daggett, for having the vision and foresight to bring this historic meeting to Lisbon, Portugal. Watching his continuous fight after close to sixty years on the waterfront is inspiring to many and it motivates all of us to do better.”

Thank you James McNamara, ILA Chief of Staff ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

3 days ago

PORT OF CHARLESTON PROUDLY REPRESENTS THE ILA AT THE ANTI-AUTOMATION CONFERENCE IN LISBON, PORTUGAL

The ILA at the Port of Charleston……
Left to Right:
Derrick Holmes-  VP ILA 1422
Matt Givens - Exec. Bd. ILA 1422-A
Charon Harris - Delegate ILA 1422-A
Jerquan Wright - Exec. Bd. ILA 1422-A
Lenny Bailey - Pres. ILA 1422-A
Simeon McNeal- Shop Steward ILA 1422-A
Kenny Riley- Pres. ILA 1422
Macy Sharper- Foreman ILA 1422-A
Jerry Perry - VP ILA 1422-A
Shawn Middleton - ILA 1422 Delegate
Ben Parker Jr.  - Shop Steward ILA 1422-A
Bruce Jenkins Sr. - Sgt. at Arms ILA 1422- A ... See MoreSee Less

ILA Education/History

4 days ago

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILA INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT THOMAS “TEDDY” GLEASON

In photograph, ILA International President Teddy Gleason stands with a young Jim McNamara. It was Gleason who hired McNamara on August 31, 1981 to be the ILA’s Public Relations Director, who now serves the membership as the ILA’s Chief of Staff.

THE AMAZING CAREER OF THOMAS “TEDDY” GLEASON:

-Born 125 years ago today, on November 8, 1900, Teddy Gleason was the sixth ILA International President that served the membership from 1963-1987.

-A legendary labor leader that led the ILA in a very challenging and difficult time as the dawn of containerization was upon our union sisters and brothers.

-Gleason family of Manhattan’s Lower West Side had been on waterfront since 1888.

-General Organizer that went port to port in 1950’s to defeat International Brotherhood of Longshoreman (IBL)

-Elected President at ILA International Convention in 1963

-Moved ILA Headquarters to 17 Battery Place, New York

-As Automation and Containerization increased, Gleason saved countless jobs

-In 1965 Gleason negotiates, what was at the time, the longest lasting ILA contract in history

-Negotiates Container Royalty in 1968

-Creates Guaranteed Annual Income (GAI) program, the Job Security Program (JSP) and the “Rules on Containers” (The Rules)

-Passed away in December of 1992

HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT GLEASON! ... See MoreSee Less