ILA Leadership Visits Port Houston and Local 24

Yesterday, ILA leadership, consisting of Dennis Daggett, ILA International Executive Vice President; Kenny Oelkers, ILA National Port of Discovery Director and ILA Education Director; and Alan Robb, South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District President, toured Port Houston and saw the Neopanamax electric cranes at the Bayport Container Terminal, which were delivered last week.  During the visit to Houston, the leadership also met with ILA Local 24 in Houston.

Eloy Cortez, District Representative, gave a presentation of Local 24’s growth over the past 18 months.  At the end of Contract Year 2020, Local 24 had worked 1.7-million-man hours.  Last year, Local 24 surpassed 2.1-million-man hours for Contract Year 2021 and is projected to have over 3-million-man hours for the current contract year.

Mr. Cortez praised the hard-working men and women of the local for their dedication and gave special recognition to the trucker drivers.  Mr. Cortez stated that “They have outperformed my expectations, the employers’ expectations, and they’ve done a great job”.  Mr. Cortez also encouraged the membership and leadership to begin thinking long-term.

Mr. Robb thanked the membership for their work through the pandemic and talked about the defined contribution plan and on-going discussions for an upcoming Master Contract extension into 2030.  He also motivated the membership by mentioning how someone entering the industry today could become a millionaire by working full-time for 30 to 35 years.

Mr. Daggett also spoke to the members of Local 24 stating, “I think the public now has woken up to see the work that we do.  Each of your jobs, I want you guys to know this, that when you take pride in what you do every single day, it’s an honorable profession… People are now realising the importance of what longshore people do.”  He also mentioned the “tsunami is coming,” in reference to the predicted volume of work.  Due to the on-going issues on the West Coast, cargo shipped from Asia can arrive in the Gulf or East Coast in half the time that it takes to arrive in Los Angeles/Long Beach.

Mr. Daggett also spoke on the potential upcoming Master Contract extension, emphasising that if we enter negotiations, we would not be leaving without a better contract.  He concluded with an important statement stating to the membership that “the most important word in the labor movement starts with a “S”, and it’s not seniority, it’s solidarity!”