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North Bergen NJ - October 3, 2024 The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume. ILA President and Chief Negotiator Harold J. Daggett Subjected to Death Threats and Harassment, Including New York Post Publishing His Home Address, Putting His Safety at Risk Fighting for a Fair and Just Contract for ILA Members, ILA President and Chief Negotiator Harold J. Daggett Subjected to Death Threats and Harassment, Including New York Post Newspaper Publishing His Home Address, Putting His Personal Safety at Risk; Other ILA Leaders Also Threatened North Bergen, NJ - October 2, 2024 International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) President Harold J. Daggett understands how tough it is to negotiate a Master Contract for his ILA rank-and-file members working at ports from Maine to Texas. He already negotiated two landmark six-year Master Contracts with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) in 2012 and 2018. As a nearly 60-year veteran longshoreman of the waterfront, he understands better than most the struggles of working on the waterfront: long hours away from family, working in brutal weather conditions, and the real dangers of getting injured or killed in this dangerous occupation. As a decorated Navy war veteran who saw combat duty in Vietnam before he joined the ILA in 1967, Harold Daggett understands real threats and the courage it takes to accomplish a hazardous mission. But the ILA leader could not imagine the hate and threats of violence against him and other top ILA leaders as attempts to end the current two-day strike helping his ILA membership navigate the first coastwide work stoppage in almost half a century. He is sickened by these attempts to his attack his professional accomplishments as a union leader, and destroy the life he has built for him and his family in over many decades of toil and hard work. The New York Post newspaper this week published aerial photographs of his New Jersey home, including posting his address in an article. They printed other details of his personal life, full of false accusations against him, with the sole intent on destroying his character and disparaging his 68-year ILA career, with the intention of weakening his ability to negotiate a new Master Contract for ILA members. "The publication of pictures of Mr. Daggett's home is reckless and places Mr. Daggett and his family at great risk of personal harm," his attorney, Michael Critchley wrote to Genie Gavenchak, the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the New York Post. "Mr. Daggett has already received several threats to his life. The N.Y. Post must immediately remove these pictures from all versions of the article and refrain from any further publications of pictures of Mr. Daggett's home. In telephone calls made to the staff of the International Longshoremen's Association, and to countless ILA Locals up and down the coast, President Daggett and other ILA top officers have received vicious death threats and other forms of intimidation. The ILA leader promised that, as serious as these personal threats and ugly smear campaign are to him, his family, and ILA officers, he will not let them discourage him or weaken the ILA's goal of negotiating the best Master Contract for his ILA rank-and-file members. ILA Responds To USMX's Statement That Distorts the Facts and Misleads the Public North Bergen, NJ - October 1, 2024 USMX's recent press release is another attempt to distort the facts and mislead the public. The ILA has rejected their so-called "nearly 50% wage increase" because it fails to address the demands of our members adequately. They might claim a significant increase, but they conveniently omit that many of our members are operating multi-million-dollar container-handling equipment for a mere $20 an hour. In some states, the minimum wage is already $15. Furthermore, our members endure a grueling six-year wage progression before they can even reach the top wage tier, regardless of how many hours they work or the effort they put in. USMX also overlooks the fact that two-thirds of our members are constantly on call, with no guaranteed employment if no ships are being worked. Our members qualify for benefits only based on the hours they worked the previous year, making them vulnerable if there's a downturn in work. Despite this, there is no incentive within the progression system for hard-working members to advance faster. Regardless of their dedication, they must wait six full years to attain the top wage. Let's be clear: the ILA has been fully prepared to negotiate a fair contract since two years before its expiration. USMX's claim that they are ready to bargain rings hollow when they waited until the eve of a potential strike to present this offer. The last offer from USMX was back in February 2023, and the ILA has been listening to our members' concerns ever since. Our members feel underappreciated, especially given the sacrifices they made during the pandemic, keeping ports open and the economy moving. The wage increases in the previous contract were rendered meaningless by rising inflation. Meanwhile, foreign-owned ocean carriers continue to make record profits, imposing outrageous surcharges on consumers and customers, yet they balk at the idea of sharing these profits fairly with the ILA. Furthermore, the ILA is steadfastly against any form of automation-full or semi-that replaces jobs or historical work functions. We will not accept the loss of work and livelihood for our members due to automation. Our position is clear: the preservation of jobs and historical work functions is non-negotiable. Another critical issue is Container Royalty. These funds were intended to be a wage supplement paid out to our members, not to be shared with employers. The ILA demands 100% of its Container Royalty monies, along with other jurisdictional demands, to ensure our members receive what is rightfully theirs. The ILA seeks more than a $5 yearly wage increase. Our members don't work typical 9-to-5 jobs; they work extraordinary hours, sacrificing time with their families. Our position is firm: we believe in the value our incredible rank-and-file members bring to this industry and to our great nation. They deserve a contract that recognizes their contributions, secures their jobs, and reflects the profits generated by their labor. This is what it will take to bring the ILA back to the table to continue talks.
ILA President Harold J. Daggett Joins Picket Lines Throughout Port Newark/Elizabeth, New Jersey at Start of Strike and Rallies Tens of Thousands of ILA Members to Stay Strong and United; Union Demanding $5 Per Hour Increase in Wages for Each Year of Six-Year Agreement, Plus No Automation or Semi-Automation and Union Retaining All Container Royalty Funds for Members North Bergen, NJ - October 1, 2024 At the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) President Harold J. President Harold J. Daggett joined thousands of fellow members outside the gates at Maher Terminal in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey and launched the first coastwide strike in the ILA in nearly a half century. He continued walking the picket lines at A.P.M. Terminals and Port Newark Container Terminal The ILA leader was joined by tens of thousands of ILA members setting up picket lines going up at all the major ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The ILA intends for the demonstrations to continue round the clock, 24/7, for as long as it takes for United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to meet the demands of ILA rank-and-file members. "We are now demanding $5 an hour increase in wages for each of the six years of a new ILA-USMX Master Contract," said ILA President Harold Daggett. "Plus, we want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA." In a powerful demonstration of international solidarity, Bobby Olvera, Jr., President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union was standing beside ILA President Harold Daggett and ILA Executive Vice President Dennis Daggett, when the strike commenced at midnight. Bobby Olvera noted that a huge delegation of ILWU Hawaii members, included the ILWU's newly elected Hawaii Vice President Brandon Wolff, were also present to proclaim their full support for ILA strikers. "When we fight, we win," ILWU President Olvera shouted to the ILA. "Brothers and Sisters, on behalf of all the members of the ILWU, from Alaska to San Diego, British Columbia, and most definitely from the Islands of Hawaii, the ILWU stand with the ILA. We are family- WE ARE ONE! Let one employer stand between us and see what happens. Let one Port Authority stand between us and see what happens. Let one elected official stand between the working men and women of the docks in North America and see what happens! The ILWU will stand with your International President (Harold Daggett), with Dennis (Daggett), and all of your locals up and down the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf. The ILWU stands with you Brothers and Sisters. SOLIDARITY!" Jordi Aragunde, General Coordinator, International Dockworkers Council (IDC) also joined the ILA in person for the start of its strike. ILA Update North Bergen, NJ - September 30, 2024
"The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject", the ILA said. "ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing. It's disgraceful that most of these foreign-owned shipping companies are engaged in a 'Make and Take' operation: They want to make their billion-dollar profits at United States ports, and off the backs of American ILA longshore workers, and take those earnings out of this country and into the pockets of foreign conglomerates. Meanwhile, ILA dedicated longshore workers continue to be crippled by inflation due to USMX's unfair wage packages." "In addition, the shippers are gouging their customers that result in increased costs to American consumers. They are now charging $30,000 for a full container, a whopping increase from $6,000 per container just a few weeks ago. In just a short time, they went from 6K, to 18K, then 24K and now $30,000. It's unheard of and they are doubling their $30,000 fee stuffing the same container from multiple shippers. They are killing the customers." The ILA will continue to update the media as information becomes available. The ILA will not engage in one-on-one interviews today, Monday, September 30, 2024. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) press release 
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