ILA President Harold Daggett’s Labor Day Message

Labor Day 2024 More Meaningful To ILA and Its Members As They Fight For Fair and Decent Contract by Harold J. Daggett

NORTH BERGEN, NJ (August 28, 2024) As America collectively salutes and thanks Organized Labor and its members this coming Monday for the contribution American workers have made to build our great nation, Labor Day 2024 holds special meaning to the international Longshoremen’s Association and its 85,000 members. Many of the proud members of the ILA, who keep commerce moving through our nation’s ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports, will be focused on upcoming Wage Scale Meetings held on Wednesday and Thursday, September 4 and 5, 2024 in Teaneck, New Jersey.

It is fitting that our ILA Wage Scale meetings begin just two days after Labor Day is celebrated. For over a century, America has been celebrating Labor Day and applauding the contributions Organized Labor brought to the workplace: the 40-hour workweek; safety standards, a skilled workforce, and the right to organize being just a few. So many benefits that we take for granted did not come without a fight, sometimes bloody battles, and sacrifices and courageous acts by the founders of our Labor Movement.

ILA members in 2024 know that they are about to face a battle for a new contract. I am so proud to lead the ILA as its President and Chief Negotiator. The unity and solidarity among ILA members are stronger today than in any time in our history. We are hoping that United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) gets serious and meets our demands for a contract that recognizes and rewards the contributions made by ILA members for their employers who have enjoyed billion-dollar profits in recent years. Though we have not had a coast-wide strike in nearly half a century, ILA members are unified in their desire to hit the streets on October 1, 2024, if a new agreement is not reached.

I wish all my ILA members and their families a safe and Happy Labor Day 2024. I feel certain the America Public understands the important work our ILA members perform throughout the year and will salute them on Labor Day and support them if they are forced to go on strike in October.