ILA’s Maria Fong To Be Honored In Florida This Friday By The Coalition of Black Trade Unionist Region III
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (October 4, 2023) Maria Angela Fong, a veteran of more than 51 years with the International Longshoremen’s Association who has worked directly with four International ILA Presidents, will be honored on Friday, October 6, 2023, by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Region III. Michael D. Payne from ILA Local 1526 in Fort Lauderdale and the Director of CBTU Region III announced that Ms. Fong will receive the “Distinguished Labor Award” at the Conference’s Dinner Friday evening at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Boca Raton.
Since the earliest days of this nation when democracy was built on racial exploitation, black workers have risked their lives to protect and empower their communities through agitation, collective action, and faith. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists proudly carries that tradition into the 21st century.
CBTU is not a black separatist or civil rights organization. It is the fiercely independent voice of black workers within the trade union movement, challenging organized labor to be more relevant to the needs and aspirations of Black and poor workers.
In addition to the ILA’s Maria Fong, CBTU Region III will be honoring (posthumously) Mike Williams, President, Florida AFL-CIO and Claude Cummings, Jr., National President, Communication Workers of America (CWA).
Scores of ILA officers and members are expected to attend the CBTU Region III dinner to salute Maria Fong. She began her ILA career in 1972 and would serve as Administrative Assistant to ILA Presidents Teddy Gleason, John Bowers, Richard Hughes and the ILA’s current president, Harold J. Daggett.
“Maria Fong is a most worthy recipient of this Distinguished Labor Award,” said ILA President Harold Daggett. “Her contributions to the ILA and her dedication to the officers and members of our great union is without equal.”
