ILA’s Daggett Vows Aggressive Stance

Harold Daggett took over as president of the International Longshoremen’s Association on Thursday with a vow to fight automation, increase organizing and research activities, aggressively enforce container weights and work more closely with the West Coast dockworkers union.

Delegates at the ILA’s quadrennial convention in Hollywood, Fla., unanimously elected Daggett to succeed Richard Hughes Jr., who did not seek re-election.

Daggett will lead the ILA in negotiations on a new Atlantic and Gulf dockworkers’ contract to replace the one that expires Sept. 30, 2012.

 Video: ILA President Daggett Vows to Fight Automation, Work with ILWU

In a fiery acceptance speech lasting more than 45 minutes, Daggett promised an aggressive ILA line in those negotiations and said the union will resist the spread of automated terminals.

“We are against automation in the United States on the East Coast and the West Coast,” he said.

To assertions that automated terminals such as the one APM Terminals installed at Hampton Roads, Va., produces jobs, he said, “Bull----! If you had asked Hampton Roads today if they had a vote on it, they would vote ‘no.’”

Daggett said he would pursue closer ties with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents West Coast port labor. “It is my intention to bring the ILA closer to the ILWU, as we have many matters of mutual interest in dealing with management in protecting our jurisdictions and memberships.”