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
Port of Charleston
THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION CLERKS AND CHECKERS
“THE KITCHEN”
ILA Local 1771
“The Kitchen” with the Clerks and Checkers at the Port of Charleston.
Clerks and checkers for the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are responsible for documenting, inspecting, and tracking cargo during loading and unloading. They verify container numbers, ISO codes, and seals, while managing logistics paperwork to ensure accuracy and safety in marine terminals and on ships.
Core Responsibilities of ILA Clerks and Checkers:
• Cargo Documentation: They create inbound/outbound tickets, inspect cargo for damage, and record seal numbers, often using handheld scanners.
• Terminal Operations: They manage the flow of containers in the yard, acting as a liaison between trucks and vessel loading operations.
• Vessel Loading/Discharging: Checkers monitor which hatch or hold is being worked on and track all cargo movement.
• Specialized Roles: They may act as signalmen for crane operators, or as clerks, timekeepers, or weighers.
•Logistics Efficiency: They ensure container numbers, chassis numbers, and cargo details match official paperwork to prevent errors.
Pre-Stow export containers prior to loading to ensure proper vessel weight displacement and also proper Port of Discharge are accurate.
Yard planners stow import containers in container yards to ensure truck drivers can pick up an outbound container in a timely fashion.
Thank you ILA Local 1771 President Lance McLaughlin and Wando Terminal Gate Chief Clerk George Moskos.
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
I got my TWIC card and my casual. How could I get a job?
Y’all hiring?
Thanks for Posting and thanks for all you do for the ILA from Maine to Texas Brother Kenny Oelkers !! The Gate Clerks here in Charleston are among the most Professional and dedicated workers in the entire ILA. They make it happen!! ILA Strong Brother!!💪🇺🇸
Nice to see these clerks recognized😍 Super important process to keep those truckers moving for SC economy 😍
Similar views here in Norfolk, VA. 1624 in the house!
Look at that white head on Popeye! Love my ILA BROTHERS AND SISTERS…
Thank you tor your services
Yep, thats Popeye.
Get us back to work
Port of NY/NJ
NEW LOGO
ILA LOCAL 920
STATEN ISLAND, NY
ESTABLISHED 1916
A HISTORY OF HARD WORK, SACRIFICE AND SOLIDARITY
International Longshoremen’s Association Local 920 is a longstanding union representing longshore workers in Staten Island, New York.
ILA Local 920 has played an important role in the borough’s waterfront history, representing generations of workers who have helped move cargo through the port.
A history that dates back to 1916,
ILA Local 920 has been moving cargo in Staten Island for more than a century and its members have contributed to the growth and operation of the port, keeping commerce moving while building a strong tradition of union solidarity.
The local has a particularly strong connection to the Howland Hook waterfront, where generations of Longshoremen have worked in cargo handling and terminal operations.
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LEADERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION
Michael Izzo – President and Atlantic Coast District Vice President
Joseph Samaritano – Vice President
Charles Gunsch – Secretary-Treasurer and Business Agent
The local’s leadership is responsible for representing its membership and protecting the wages, benefits, working conditions, and rights of its members.
A message from ILA Local 920 President Michael Izzo:
“Our membership moves all types of cargo including containers, heavy lifts, warehouse, etc..
There’s nothing in the world I’d rather do than to stand side by side each day with my delegates, Charlie Gunsch and Joe Samaritano, my officers and executive board, shop steward, foreman and membership.
I do it every day for them because I know what they do every day for their families, their local and the ILA.
I love my membership. There’s no harder workforce in the world.”
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ILA Local 920 remains an important part of the ILA’s presence in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Its history reflects the hard work, sacrifice, and solidarity of the Longshoremen who built the port into one of the most important maritime gateways in the United States.
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Rumor has it, they are going to shutdown HowlandHook again..
Never the unions too strong🇮🇹
Port Houston, TX
December 18, 1940
ILA MEMBERS MOVE CARGO AT PORT HOUSTON
Longshoremen preparing to move heavy bales of cotton to be loaded on a ship for transport at Port Houston, Texas in December of 1940.
Int'l Longshoremen's ILA South Atlantic and Gulf Coast D#InternationalLongshoremensAssociationssociation
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A MESSAGE FROM THE IDC:
THE FUTURE OF DOCKWORKERS WILL BE DECIDED GLOBALLY.
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. THE ROOM IS FULL. THE WORLDWIDE DOCKWORKERS’ MOVEMENT IS READY.
In just 15 days, hundreds of delegates from every continent will come together in Rio de Janeiro.
We cannot wait to see you all, standing shoulder to shoulder, united by our purpose, our principles, and our commitment to the future of our industry.
This is more than an assembly. This is a global movement coming together to shape the future of dockworkers worldwide.
Together, we will strengthen our unity, build our global strategy, and make sure that wherever dockworkers face a challenge, they know they are never alone.
ONE VOICE. ONE MOVEMENT. ONE GLOBAL PURPOSE.
See you in Rio.
If we’re together, it’s impossible to fail.
The future is ours to shape.
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Solidarity Comrades
Lisbon, Portugal
One year ago…..Anti-Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal
In November of 2025, the ILA came together with the IDC as over 1,000 dockworkers from around the world attended the Anti-Automation Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
In two weeks, during the week of November 14, 2026, these dockworkers will come together again as the IDC will host its 10th General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
ROBOTS DO NOT PAY TAXES!!!
BUT THE 85,000 MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION DO!!!
We need to protect our families, our communities, our schools, our hospitals, our civil servants, law enforcement, firefighters, our playgrounds, our parks, and the infrastructure that keeps our neighborhoods great places to live.
At the top of the list is our children and the generations that will follow!
We are not against technology, as long as it does not replace or take away one single job of the hardworking women and men at ILA ports on the waterfront!
THE ILA SAYS NO TO AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL REPLACE HUMAN BEINGS FROM WORKING AND CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY!!
Int'l Longshoremen's ILA South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
39 CommentsComment on Facebook
I heard APL and Hanjin just signed for automation is this true ????/ why is everyone clocking in like everything is ok
And robots don’t stimulate the economy like Longshoremen do.
So true🇮🇹
Exactly! Also there are studies out there already with autonomous terminals it shows that production is NOT faster than human operators. It takes an autonomous crane almost five years to do the close to the same moves a human operator makes per hour.
Self checkout machines at the store doesn’t pay taxes either
AND VOTE ..we do way more than that ....we all give to our communities..pay taxes..care about our counties future .raise good people . In solidarity we will succeed
Yeah, and quite a freaking bit lol
✊
👏
SAY IT ONE More Time
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
🔥🔥❤️❤️👏👏
Money not backed up by human labor is nothing but toilet paper
Robots do what they’re told.
Protest your work 🤙
And everyone's income taxes will go up to compensate for all industries that are "employing" AI bots. The corporations that are using bots instead of people need to cover the difference and then some. The taxes should not be the burden of the human workers. Make the corporations PAY.
Amen!
And a lot!! Almost half your pay was gone!
Technology that's forced down our throats ...I fukin despise ! I still use pencils. Auto pay or whatever it's called still requires an attendant. I stopped going to circle k. A computer can't intuitively factor in for instances not yet Experienced. Similar to the book smart CEO type individuals , through ignorance and greed will eventually be our ruination. Robots will never obtain a HEART , which in turn nurturing a BRAIN...conscientiously speaking. God bless the International Longshoremen !!
Yeah I’m in California we’re about to be paying a lot more and just to drive to work. Awesome
That’s MF right there!!! Say that 💩 with your chest out!!!! Robots don’t pay taxes but Longshoremen do… ILWU local 10
Bots can be hacked. They'll beg for us to come back when all the equipment starts driving itself into the bayou. Go ahead and play yourself "big corporation" game. Bc we gon cheat to win
Port of New Orleans
Gorgeous shot of the Port of New Orleans
10/28/2026
Have a great night ILA Sisters and Brothers!
Photo Credit:
marco rasi
Thank you!!
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
6 CommentsComment on Facebook
Home of Local 3000
Class act I.L.A. 👍
Beautiful pic #ILA
Nice pic we need them cranes down and working
Home of local 2036
Go Union
Port of NY/NJ
May 17, 1964
ILA CHENANGOS PROTEST THREAT TO JOB SECURITY ON THE WEST SIDE OF MANHATTAN
The ILA Chenangos were a group of Longshoremen on the West Side docks of New York City.
“The Chenangos did the hardest work on the docks involving break bulk and everything was done on hand trucks on and off the barges when the tide would go from low to high. They were a group of men that did back breaking work and were well respected on the pier”, remarked ILA President Harold Daggett.
Pictured below is a member of the ILA Chenangos fighting for job security against the American Stevedore Company and other members of the New York Shipping Association.
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Spenser company was the Chenangos labor.
👏👏
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Go Union
Happy Halloween to all of our ILA sisters and brothers!
Be Safe!
God Bless You All!!
#InternationalLongshoremensAssociation
1 CommentComment on Facebook
ILA
A MESSAGE FROM ILA INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT DENNIS A. DAGGETT:
I have been fortunate throughout my career to participate in many important meetings involving the future of our industry. I don’t often use the word historic to describe a meeting, but what took place at the headquarters of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Geneva, Switzerland, was exactly that.
ILA International President Harold J. Daggett and I, along with two other ILA representatives, and Jordi Aragunde, IDC Labor Coordinator, had the privilege of meeting with MSC founder and Group Chairman Captain Gianluigi Aponte, MSC Group President Diego Aponte, Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) CEO Ammar Kanaan, and MSC CEO Søren Toft.
For more than two hours, we engaged in meaningful and productive discussions about the present state of the shipping and longshore industry and, more importantly, our shared vision for its future.
What made this meeting particularly significant was something the Apontes themselves shared with us. This was the first time they had met with two International Union officials. That alone speaks volumes about the importance of this gathering and the opportunity before us.
President Daggett opened the meeting by sharing his vision for the future of the longshore industry. As he has throughout his career, he spoke passionately, but respectfully, about his strong opposition to automation and job killing technologies that threaten the livelihoods of hardworking men and women. He made it clear that progress and modernization should never come at the expense of the workforce that has helped build this industry.
At the same time, President Daggett expressed his sincere appreciation for MSC and the tremendous work opportunities the company has created for ILA members throughout the years.
Both President Daggett and I expressed our gratitude for MSC’s future plans along the East and Gulf Coasts, particularly its commitment to manned terminal operations. We reinforced that the ILA International is equally committed to ensuring that our highly skilled workforce continues to deliver the highest levels of productivity, efficiency, and safety.
We also discussed MSC and TiL’s significant investments in the United States, including terminal expansion at PNCT in Port Newark, New Jersey, new terminal developments in Baltimore and Louisiana, and potential future opportunities in the South Atlantic region.
For some time, President Daggett and I have watched MSC’s continued growth and investment from afar. We have developed tremendous respect for the Aponte family and their willingness to invest in American ports, American workers, and the future of our industry. These investments represent more than infrastructure and equipment. They represent opportunities for American families, stronger communities, and a more competitive maritime industry.
What I appreciated most about this meeting was the mutual respect displayed by everyone in the room. We may represent different sides of the industry, but that does not mean we cannot share common goals. A successful shipping company needs a productive, skilled, and dependable workforce, and our members need employers who believe in investing in their future.
I have always believed that when employers and labor work together with honesty, trust, and mutual respect, there is very little we cannot accomplish.
We concluded the meeting with a mutual commitment to continue building a strong and trustworthy relationship between MSC, TiL, and the ILA. A relationship based on open communication, respect for one another, and a shared desire to see our industry succeed.
I want to personally thank Captain Gianluigi Aponte, Diego Aponte, Ammar Kanaan, and Søren Toft for their hospitality, their openness, and the respect they extended to our organization and the hardworking men and women we represent.
I left the meeting in Geneva feeling optimistic about what lies ahead. There is tremendous potential for both MSC and the ILA, and I believe this meeting marked the beginning of something very special.
Because when our employers are successful, our members should share in that success. And when our members succeed, our entire industry becomes stronger….
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
lLA all the way!!!!!!
👏
I hope the "potential future opportunities in the South Atlantic region" is talking about HLT at N Charleston SC. ILA spent so much time and money on fighting for this terminal. The operators and mechanics that made the switch from state to union to have this terminal running are now out of work, I hope it is all worth it. #solidarity
It must be nice to be down with the Ila 👏🙌
MSC is doing everything they can to eliminate longshore jurisdiction. They have no respect for the ILA, ILWU our jurisdiction or safety. MSC illegally ships hazmat cargo and continuously insists the containers are covered and refuses to supply accurate documentation...ex.: hazardous material is loaded to MSC Daphne and discharges in Singapore...exact same container then loads MSC Irina and discharges in Portland...there's no documentation provided for MSC Irina...MSC swears the vessel MSC Daphne, which never called or discharged cargo in Portland is the correct documentation...meanwhile, hazardous cargo leaks out of the container and the container sits in containment area, awaiting proper documentation and MSC threatens legal action against the port...MSC states this is how they ship hazmat on the east coast & gulf ports with "no issues or problems"...sorry...this isn't the east coast or gulf...we know do our job & know what's required...go back to school MSC!