Dockers' strike: why did the protest stop and who is Harold Daggett?
4 october 2024 в 21:13
Almost 45,000 dockworkers went on strike at ports along the East and Gulf coasts of the United States, demanding higher wages and more reliable protection from job automation.
Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing the interests of dockworkers, walked off the job on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 50 years, advocating for «the wages we deserve», - as stated by ILA President Harold Daggett in a social media post.
After 13 years as union president, the 78-year-old Daggett stated that the strikers have the upper hand because their work is essential to automakers, retailers, and other companies that rely on ports. «We will win this damn thing. Trust me», - Daggett said on Tuesday as union members picketed outside a port terminal in New Jersey. «They can’t survive too long. We will get what we deserve».
However, an update from the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) published on social media on Thursday, October 3, announced a suspension of the strike after reaching a «preliminary» agreement. The agreement extends the previous contract until January 15, providing both sides with time for further negotiations.
Here’s everything you need to know about the third-generation docker, including his high salary and some past scandals related to the mafia.
Daggett was born in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, once a stronghold of the ILA. He spent his childhood in Queens before joining the navy, where he worked as a mechanic on the docks.
He joined the union ten years ago, in 1967, after serving in the navy during the Vietnam War. In recent years, he has worked as a union official, rather than on the waterfront.
As a union leader and president, Daggett earned $ 728,694 in 2023, as well as an additional $ 173,040 as the emeritus president of the mechanics' local chapter in Port Newark, New Jersey, according to documents filed with the Department of Labor.
Unlike the president of the West Coast dockworkers' union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who earned just over $ 234,000 last year, in line with what leaders of major American unions typically earn, such as the United Auto Workers.
His son, Dennis Daggett, also earned a significant salary. He currently heads the New Jersey local chapter, previously led by his father, and holds the position of executive vice president of the ILA, bringing him a total income of over $ 700,000 in 2023.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a civil suit against the association in July 2005, alleging that it had been controlled by two New York mafia families for about 50 years. After a widely publicized trial, the jury acquitted him of charges of fraud and conspiracy with coercion. He denies any allegations of mafia ties.
According to The New York Times, in a letter presented to the Supreme Court in 2021, two senior FBI agents from New York and Newark stated: «Successful federal prosecutions have shown the continued influence of the Genovese and Gambino mafia families on the International Longshoremen’s Association and port businesses».
In addition to differences in salary between union presidents, another significant difference between the two dockworker unions is how they are managed and structured. For example, there were no indications that the union asked all its members to vote for strike authorization, a step taken by most unions and publicly disclosed before a strike. Some members reported not being informed of any plans for strike pay.
Another difference between the ILA and the West Coast is the salaries and pension benefits they provide. While 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts faced strikes, ports on the West Coast remained unaffected because their union secured a substantial wage increase for its members in 2023
Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing the interests of dockworkers, walked off the job on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 50 years, advocating for «the wages we deserve», - as stated by ILA President Harold Daggett in a social media post.
After 13 years as union president, the 78-year-old Daggett stated that the strikers have the upper hand because their work is essential to automakers, retailers, and other companies that rely on ports. «We will win this damn thing. Trust me», - Daggett said on Tuesday as union members picketed outside a port terminal in New Jersey. «They can’t survive too long. We will get what we deserve».
However, an update from the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) published on social media on Thursday, October 3, announced a suspension of the strike after reaching a «preliminary» agreement. The agreement extends the previous contract until January 15, providing both sides with time for further negotiations.
Here’s everything you need to know about the third-generation docker, including his high salary and some past scandals related to the mafia.
Daggett was born in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, once a stronghold of the ILA. He spent his childhood in Queens before joining the navy, where he worked as a mechanic on the docks.
He joined the union ten years ago, in 1967, after serving in the navy during the Vietnam War. In recent years, he has worked as a union official, rather than on the waterfront.
As a union leader and president, Daggett earned $ 728,694 in 2023, as well as an additional $ 173,040 as the emeritus president of the mechanics' local chapter in Port Newark, New Jersey, according to documents filed with the Department of Labor.
Unlike the president of the West Coast dockworkers' union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who earned just over $ 234,000 last year, in line with what leaders of major American unions typically earn, such as the United Auto Workers.
His son, Dennis Daggett, also earned a significant salary. He currently heads the New Jersey local chapter, previously led by his father, and holds the position of executive vice president of the ILA, bringing him a total income of over $ 700,000 in 2023.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a civil suit against the association in July 2005, alleging that it had been controlled by two New York mafia families for about 50 years. After a widely publicized trial, the jury acquitted him of charges of fraud and conspiracy with coercion. He denies any allegations of mafia ties.
According to The New York Times, in a letter presented to the Supreme Court in 2021, two senior FBI agents from New York and Newark stated: «Successful federal prosecutions have shown the continued influence of the Genovese and Gambino mafia families on the International Longshoremen’s Association and port businesses».
In addition to differences in salary between union presidents, another significant difference between the two dockworker unions is how they are managed and structured. For example, there were no indications that the union asked all its members to vote for strike authorization, a step taken by most unions and publicly disclosed before a strike. Some members reported not being informed of any plans for strike pay.
Another difference between the ILA and the West Coast is the salaries and pension benefits they provide. While 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts faced strikes, ports on the West Coast remained unaffected because their union secured a substantial wage increase for its members in 2023
© Artemenko Olga
