Harold Daggett is an American labor union leader. Since 2011, he has been president of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA).[1][2][3][4] In 2024, he was a lead figure in launching a strike by longshoremen at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.
Harold J. Daggett | |
|---|---|
| President of the International Longshoremen's Association | |
| Assumed office 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harold J. Daggett New York City, U.S. |
Early life and career
editDaggett was raised in Queens, New York. He was in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam before becoming a dock worker in 1967.[4] In 1988, he become president of Port Newark mechanics local.[4]
International Longshoremen's Association
editDaggett was elected president of the International Longshoremen's Association in 2011; he was elected to a third term in 2019.[5] In 2023, Daggett earned $901,000 from the ILA, including $728,000 in base salary and $173,000 as president emeritus of ILA Local 1804–1.[6]
Harold Daggett's son Dennis has also been an ILA official since at least 2005.[7] As of 2024, the younger Daggett was executive vice president of the ILA, and head of the New Jersey local once led by his father.[8]
Disputes with government
editThe Justice Department has lost two cases against Daggett, in which he was accused of being an associate of the Genovese crime family.[9] In testimony at a trial in 2005, George Barone, a former Genovese "soldier" who was a Mafia enforcer before turning state's evidence, testified that Daggett was controlled by the Mafia; in his own testimony, Daggett depicted himself as a victim of the Mafia and said that Barone had threatened to kill him in 1980.[9] Daggett and the two codefendants in the trial were found not liable in November 2005 on civil RICO charges of extortion conspiracy and fraud.[7] One of the codefendants, Lawrence Ricci, disappeared during the trial;[9][7] his body was found weeks later in a New Jersey diner decomposing with multiple gunshot wounds; the murder is still unsolved.[9]
Daggett has frequently clashed with the Waterfront Commission, which was established in 1953 to reduce organized crime influence at the Port of New York and New Jersey.[9] Daggett has denied that there is any substantial remaining Mob influence on the docks.[9]
2024 port strike
editDaggett is a critic of the Joe Biden administration, and in 2024 he threatened to "cripple" the American economy before the November election via an ILA strike at ports on the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf Coasts.[6][10] Daggett was a lead figure in the strike, which began on October 1, 2024.[4] It was the first port strike on the East Coast since 1977.[11] The ILA demanded a pay raise and a freeze to automation at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. Longshoremen earned a top wage of $39 per hour (average American hourly wage was $28.34 at the time) and under Daggett's proposed contract, that top wage would have been moved to $69 per hour with a roughly 60% increase in pay over 6 years.[12][13] The ILA also demanded a 77% increase in wages over a six-year contract.[11]
In a house-produced video posted to the ILA's YouTube channel, Daggett said “I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means. Nobody does,” he explained:[14]
“When my men hit the streets from Maine to Texas, every single port locked down. You know what’s going to happen? I’ll tell you. First week, I will be all over the news every night, boom, boom, second week. Guys who sell cars can’t sell cars, because the cars ain’t coming in off the ships. They get laid off. Third week, malls are closing down. They can’t get the goods from China. They can’t sell clothes. They can’t do this. I deserve more money. Everything in the United States comes on a ship, they go out of business. Construction workers get laid off because the materials aren’t coming in. The steel’s not coming in. The lumber’s not coming in. They lose their job. Everybody’s hating my guys now because now they realize how important our jobs are.”
The strike was suspended on October 3rd, 2024. A tentative agreement was reached "on wages" and extending "the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues," the ILA and USMX said in a joint statement.[15]
Personal life
editDaggett was reported in 2017 as owning a 76-foot yacht, the Obsession.[9] He was also reported to drive a Bentley, a luxury car.[9]
References
edit- ^ Henderson, Cameron (2024-10-01). "Harold Daggett: How union leader who fought mob tie allegations is holding the US economy to ransom". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Sherman, Natalie; Fleury, Michelle (2024-10-02). "Union boss on US ports strike: 'I'm not playing games'". BBC. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Curtis, Laura; Shanker, Deena; Sasso, Michael (2024-10-01). "Dockworker Chief Aims to Make History With Election Day Looming". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b c d Berger, Paul (October 2, 2024). "The Profane 78-Year-Old Leading the Dockworkers Strike". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Morley, Hugh R. (July 25, 2019). "Daggett re-elected to third term as head of ILA". Journal of Commerce.
- ^ a b Higham, Aliss (2024-10-02). "Who is Harold Daggett? Union boss behind port strike". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b c Rashbaum, William K. (November 9, 2005). "Three Longshoremen Not Guilty of Fraud and Other Charges". The New York Times.
- ^ Rivard, Ry (September 25, 2024). "A looming strike could disrupt the economy just before the election. It's mostly up to 1 fiery union leader". Politico.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Goldstein, Joseph (January 6, 2017). "Along New York Harbor, 'On the Waterfront' Endures". The New York Times.
- ^ Gil, Bruce (2024-10-01). "'I will cripple you,' dockworkers union chief said of economy before massive port strike". Quartz. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b Gibson, Kate (October 2, 2024). "The U.S. is experiencing its first East Coast port strike since 1977. Here's what to know". CBS News.
- ^ Cerullo, Megan (2024-10-02). Sherter, Alain (ed.). "How much do dockworkers make? Here are the striking workers' salaries". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Eavis, Peter (September 30, 2024). "Counteroffers Exchanged in Effort to Avert U.S. Dock Strike". The New York Times.
- ^ "A Candid Conversation With ILA President Harold J. Daggett On Wide Range of Important Topics" (video). International Longshoremen's Association. Retrieved 2 September 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Zahn, Max; Deliso, Meredith; Youn, Soo (2024-10-03). "Dockworkers strike suspended, the union says". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-10-04.