The International Longshoremen’s Union (ILA), which threatened to “cripple” the country with a strike last month before gaining the Biden-Harris administration&#8217;s support, once walked off the job to protest diversity hiring requirements.
Local 1 — the most coveted ILA subsidiary in the New York area, which represents well-paid “checkers,” — is 85% white. Nearly all black ILA workers are placed in Local 1233, which is nearly 86% black, according to <a href="https://waterfront.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/11/2019-2020_wcnyh_annual_report.pdf">2020 statistics</a> from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.
In 2016, the Commission took steps to rectify this racial disparity, which it felt stemmed from the union&#8217;s ties to the Italian Mafia. But when the Waterfront Commission attempted to boost racial diversity through hiring initiatives, the ILA walked off the job.
“The ILA locals went even one step further to protest the Commission’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, and engaged in an illegal work stoppage which shut down most of the Port for the better part of a day,&#8221; the Commission said in its <a href="https://www.wcnyh.gov/docs/2017-2018_WCNYH_Annual_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 annual report</a>. &#8220;While no official explanation was given for the strike, the ILA Public Relations Director indicated that it was directed at the Waterfront Commission for its purported ‘interference’ in hiring.&#8221;
&#8220;The absolute control of the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO (ILA) over hiring in the Port for over 60 years has not only led to a lack of diversity and inclusion in waterfront employment, but also to the perpetuation of criminality and corruption,&#8221; <a href="https://www.wcnyh.gov/docs/2019-2020_WCNYH_Annual_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Commission said</a> in 2020. “For far too long, well-deserving residents of the Port’s surrounding communities were systematically denied the opportunity to work on the waterfront. Meanwhile, those who are connected to union leadership or organized crime figures are rewarded with high paying, low-show or no-work special compensation packages.”
The union&#8217;s behavior could cause problems for Vice President Kamala Harris, a racial equity advocate who went to bat for the union last month.
“This strike is about fairness. Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”
When the Commission investigated who ordered the walkout and “who was working to circumvent our fair hiring efforts,” ILA leader Harold Daggett sued to block the investigation, the Commission said.  A federal court in New Jersey dismissed the lawsuit, but ILA appealed it. ILA lost again at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2019.
The ILA&#8217;s resistance to interference in its hiring practices may have to do with its mob ties. The Commission wrote that “every terminal within the Port still has special compensation packages given to certain ILA longshore workers, the majority of whom are white males connected to organized crime figures or union leadership. Based on the industry’s reported figures, the Commission has again identified over 590 individuals who collectively received over $147.6 million dollars last year in outsized salaries, or for hours they never worked.”
Daggett, who earns nearly $1 million annually, did not respond to a Daily Wire inquiry about the union&#8217;s diversity issues.
In 2005, Daggett was indicted on racketeering charges that alleged mob ties, but he was acquitted after a co-defendant, alleged Genovese capo Larry Ricci, disappeared during the trial and was found dead in the trunk of a car. Daggett was elevated to international president in 2011.
The Daily Wire reported on extensive evidence that the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/auditors-found-18-of-longshoremens-union-hires-had-mob-ties-the-union-had-the-auditor-shut-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ILA union is closely intertwined with the mob</a>, occasionally putting relatives of imprisoned members with mob ties on the union payroll.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/auditors-found-18-of-longshoremens-union-hires-had-mob-ties-the-union-had-the-auditor-shut-down">Auditors Found 18% Of Longshoremen’s Union Hires Had Mob Ties. The Union Had The Auditor Shut Down.</a>

daggett

Kamala-Backed Dockworkers Union Once Walked Off Job To Protest Diversity Hiring

Kamala Harris

Labor Unions

California teachers union members pushed their views on the Israel-Hamas war on students, posing questions such as “What does Palestinian freedom mean to you?&#8221; and &#8220;How are you engaged with the Palestinian freedom struggle?” documents shared with The Daily Wire show.
Documents obtained by <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/oakland-unified-school-district-emails-reveal-teach-in-for-gaza-materials-featured-pro-hamas-anti-israel-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents Defending Education</a> through a public records request show a sustained effort by California teachers to push anti-Israel views in public schools, particularly after October 7. On October 25, just weeks after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, a teacher emailed her students to tell them that she would be speaking before the school board to call “for an end to the invasion and attack on Gaza,” and that “If you’d like to speak out on this important issue you can sign up.”
The following month, Tania Kappner, a teacher and leader of the By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) faction of the National Education Association (NEA), offered extra credit to students who agreed to “use this slide deck to learn more about the current war in Gaza and write a paragraph.” Kappner is a longtime Israel critic who in February communicated with the Revolutionary Community Party, documents show.
“This is yet another data point exposing how the hate we are seeing on college campuses is being taught in K-12 classrooms,&#8221; Michele Exner, Senior Advisor at Parents Defending Education, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;These radical teachers are using school resources to fuel a disturbing cycle of propaganda and hate that is creating a generation of students filled with antisemitism and anti-America sentiments.&#8221;
Kappner is a longtime crusader against Israel, introducing a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-teachers-unions-increasingly-debate-israel-and-in-some-places-back-boycotts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">union resolution in 2021</a> that said Israel was committing “ethnic cleansing” and calling on the United States to stop “arming and supporting” Israel. Kappner said she was inspired when the longshoremen’s union refused to unload cargo from an Israeli-owned ship in Oakland, which Vice President Kamala Harris considers her hometown.
In February 2024, a representative of the Revolutionary Community Party emailed Kappner to ask whether the communist group “could visit one of your classes with an overall topic of what a rare time we are facing in the year 2024… from Gaza to the elections.”  Kappner responded, “Just marched in SF today! I no longer work at the high school level and now work online. Glad you are organizing for Gaza, but I don’t have a classroom available.”
Kappner has repeatedly run for the NEA’s executive committee. In 2022, her <a href="https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/AirgoodandKappner.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">campaign flier</a> said she wanted “mandatory masking” and to “Defeat the Right-wing Trump movement.” A <a href="https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/airgoodkappnerhoag.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 flier</a> said she was running for NEA vice president as part of a slate “committed to building integrated, militant, mass action,” and that “Our labor, student, civil rights, and immigrant rights movement must build mass unified action and strike to win.”
Kappner did not respond to questions from The Daily Wire, including a request to view the “slide deck.”
Kappner is not the only California teacher found to have pushed anti-Israel views in the classroom. On April 30, Nicoletta Karam — an Oakland teacher who has written <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6607350.Nicoletta_Karam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">books</a> about “The 9/11 Backlash” and “A Cross-Dressing Burlesque Farce”— wrote to colleagues to share “May 1st Day of Solidarity with Palestine Curriculum Materials” for “anyone wanting to give students a May 1st update about Gaza.” The resources included a “Palestine loss of land map,” “college protest and divestment demands,” and a link to Arab news source Al Jazeera about calls to arrest Israel&#8217;s leadership.
Karam and her colleagues worked at Sojourner Truth Independent Study, a K-12 program where Oakland students don&#8217;t have to attend school in person at all, and only <a href="https://caaspp.edsource.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12% are proficient in math</a>. Adarene Hoag, who ran for NEA treasurer on the BAMN slate and worked as a Resource Specialist at the school, distributed the materials to teachers.
Hoag also shared a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1yHuTs87SSfWaM6qeM6y3RXgEOzjiKF_c75fLMN-2fZk/mobilebasic?pli=1#h.pg1gql1c1zfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a> titled “Educational Resources on Palestine Gathered &amp; Created by Members of the Oakland Education Association” that aims to push views on Palestine with books such as “P is for Palestine” for children just learning to read, “Colonialism, in Regards to Palestine” for middle schoolers, and a “Settler Colonialism Worksheet” for high schoolers, in addition to views such as “Gaza Fights for Freedom,” “Why is Israel called an apartheid state?” and “Abolition Means No More War.”
Mark Airgood, who ran for NEA president on the BAMN slate, also replied to Karam&#8217;s email thanking her. Airgood was <a href="https://www.alamy.com/eighth-grade-teacher-mark-airgood-protests-for-stronger-covid-19-safety-protocols-on-friday-jan-7-2022-in-oakland-calif-along-with-fellow-teachers-he-staged-a-sickout-friday-urging-oakland-unified-school-district-to-provide-n95-masks-conduct-weekly-covid-19-testing-and-institute-two-weeks-of-remote-learning-to-reduce-transmission-rates-ap-photonoah-berger-image506827684.html">photographed</a> in 2021 protesting against school re-opening, with a sign saying it would lead to &#8220;dead children&#8221; and directing people to BAMN.com. With COVID over, the <a href="https://www.bamn.com">BAMN website</a> now rails against Israel and seemingly praises Hezbollah, saying &#8220;Victory to the Palestinian Struggle Against Israel and Imperialism By Any Means Necessary! Victory to the Lebanese Resistance to All Israeli Attacks By Any Means Necessary!&#8221; It <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LFuy_hpKdbWGkR-tKAMKyVuq2pXWN97Q/view">adds</a>, &#8220;Renew the Palestinian intifada!&#8221;
On December 6, the OEA for Palestine caucus, another faction within the teachers union, held an online “teach-in” for students and staff, followed by “Q&amp;A from students.” It noted that participants must be signed in to their official school online accounts in order to access the materials. A document for students watching the webinar had them write down “What does Palestinian freedom mean to you? How are you engaged with the Palestinian freedom struggle?&#8221;
John Sasaki, a spokesman for Oakland Unified, told The Daily Wire that teachers are told that “With regard to local and national elections, staff members are not allowed to pressure students or tell them to support one candidate over another, and that includes through posters in physical or online instructional spaces or wearing clothing that has campaign imagery on it. School employees are reminded that it’s our schools’ responsibility to teach young people how to think, not what to think.” He said that applies “to political speech outside campaign season.”

Tania Kappner, a high school in Oakland Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

California Teachers Pushed Anti-Israel Views In Classrooms After Oct. 7, Docs Show

California

Education

Israel

Palestine

CUNY Gaza Solidarity Camp

‘A Hotbed Of Anti-Semitism’: Jewish Professors Take Their Case To The Supreme Court

'A Hotbed Of Anti-Semitism': Jewish Professors Take Their Case To The Supreme Court

Anti-Semitism

City University of New York (CUNY)

Columbia University

Hamas

interview

Morning Wire

New York City

Pro-Hamas

Supreme Court

Unions

A large body of information shows that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Longshoremen’s Association</a> (ILA) union, whose leader rejected 50% raises and threatened to “cripple” the United States unless greater demands were met, has pervasive and enduring ties to the Mafia.
Just a few years ago, the union responded to anti-mob investigations by the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor by successfully lobbying New Jersey politicians to neuter the oversight body, despite uncertainty of whether that was even legal.
The Waterfront Commission was formed in the 1950s to police mob activity at shipping ports, and in recent years, the International Longshoremen’s Union argued it should be abolished because it slowed down hiring and was no longer necessary. But a Daily Wire review of the Commission’s <a href="https://www.wcnyh.gov/">recent annual reports</a> shows that the hiring holdup was because it found that nearly 1 in 5 of the union’s proposed hires were connected to the Mafia, and 1 in 3 had other ethical barriers to employment.
The union often steers what they call “special packages” to mobsters, giving them pay of up to $500,000 for largely no-show work. These “special packages” have only grown in recent years, according to Commission reports. In 2020, 18 port workers made salaries more than $450,000, 41 made salaries of $400,000 to $450,000, and 82 made $350,000 to $400,000.
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“Today, every terminal within the Port still has special compensation packages given to certain ILA longshore workers, the majority of whom are white males connected to organized crime figures or union leadership. Based on the industry’s reported figures, the Commission has again identified over 590 individuals who collectively received over $147.6 million dollars last year in outsized salaries, or for hours they never worked,” the Commission found.
Two decades ago, current ILA boss Harold Daggett was acquitted of racketeering in a trial related to mafia ties in which co-defendant, alleged Genovese capo Larry Ricci, disappeared during the trial and was found dead in the trunk of a car.
Last month, Daggett said if his demands were not met, including a ban on automation and raises of 60% to 80%, &#8220;I will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-donor-union-boss-with-alleged-mob-ties-fights-biden-over-dock-worker-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cripple</a> you, and you have no idea what that means.&#8221; Shipping companies on Thursday folded to many of the union’s demands after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris sided with the union, putting a quick <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dock-workers-end-strike-with-tentative-agreement-for-higher-wages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“tentative”</a> end to a strike — at least until after the election.
General Foreman Paul Moe, Sr. was convicted in 2017 of wire fraud for collecting nearly $500,000 in pay while showing up as little as eight hours a week. But instead of disavowing him, others in the union seemed to go to great lengths to continue sending money to his family.
“Just one week after Moe’s conviction, the NYSA-ILA Employee Benefit Funds contacted his wife – a high school graduate who had not been employed for 47 years – and gave her a newly-created $70,000 a year job which had never been advertised and for which she had never applied. The very same week that Moe was arrested, the industry submitted his grandson to be a longshoreman. Incredibly, citing contrived dire labor shortages – the industry actually enlisted the unwitting assistance of the New Jersey Governor’s office in efforts to get Moe’s grandson through the hiring system,” the Commission found.
Longshoreman Peter Boragi made more than $350,000 a year, purportedly working 25 hours a day in some days. The lucrative, union-blessed pay may have had to do with mob ties: Boragi submitted a character letter to the judge on behalf of Louis Romeo, a Colombo crime family associate, and visited him in prison. The Commission said that in one of its hearings, one of the defense’s own witnesses conceded that “the mob has exercised its control of the docks by determining who get work, who gets which position, and who gets overtime.”
In another case, Genovese family soldier and former longshoreman Stephen Depiro was sent to prison for forcing union workers to turn over Christmas bonuses to the Mafia. After that, the union kept referring relatives of Depiro for jobs. Checker Dock Boss Patrick Cicalese, who was paid a $487,000 a year “special package,” surrendered his employment after wiretaps picked up conversations between him and Depiro, as well as Depiro’s girlfriend.
The Commission’s 2019 report said the mafia problem was only getting worse, with an “increased number of mob-connected union referrals this year,” including “members of the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Bonanno, and Bruno-Scarfo organized crime families.”
Gambino associate Anthony Pansini II pleaded guilty to exerting “control over the Brooklyn and Staten Island piers and, in particular, over International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO (ILA) Local 1814 in a conspiracy to control the awarding of union jobs.” The union might have claimed that Pansini was a bad apple who was victimizing the union without its knowledge—except that after Pansini was busted and the union nominally put him on a list of barred individuals, the Local President “sponsored Pansini’s son, Anthony D. Pansini III, to be a longshoreman. He was allowed to ‘jump the line,’ and was referred by the union for employment ahead of 40 other prequalified union candidates.”
One of the Commission&#8217;s main roles was to vet new hires proposed by the union before giving them the greenlight. Many of the interviewees seemed to adopt the Mafia ethic against &#8220;rats&#8221; in these interviews. For example, Pansini III claimed to be unaware of his father’s mob ties, as well as those of other associates, despite them being widely publicized. The union president who tried to get him on the payroll, meanwhile, claimed that he didn’t realize Pansini III was the son of his disgraced predecessor.
A former president of ILA Local 1235, Thomas Leonardis, was also a Genovese mafia family associate, and was convicted of collecting tribute payments to the mob from union members “based on actual and threatened force.” The Commission found that records showed that after that, Leonardis and another mobster were in contact, from prison, with longshoreman Nicholas Atria.
The now-defunct Commission’s papers are replete with specific documentation of the mob’s penetration of the waterfront and the ILA. For example, the union attempted to put on the waterfront’s payroll Michielangelo Palumbo, who was tied to alleged mobsters including “Frankie Jupiter” Martini, who convicted of RICO, and another convicted of conspiracy to commit arson.
One requested hire was a felon who struck a victim in the head with a baseball bat and whose uncle was a “made man.” Yet another lived at the home of, and shared a credit card with, a Colombo family soldier convicted of racketeering.
The Commission also sometimes removed longshoremen from the waterfront after they were hired because of mob ties. Longshoreman Vito Lavignani surrendered his job following charges of organized crime associations and stealing a police officer’s phone. Lavignani claimed that he didn’t know his associate “Tough Tony” Federici was a capo with the Genovese crime family, and that his associate “Mickey the Leach” Generoso was a mob underboss convicted of racketeering.
Another waterfront worker was Joseph Ferdico, who for seven years worked for Anthony Calabrese, a convicted racketeer and Bonanno soldier. In April 2019, a port warehouseman was suspended for possessing an improvised explosive device.
Access to international ports allows for drug and human trafficking. In February 2019, $77 million of cocaine was seized at the port. One man charged with promoting prostitution following a Waterfront Commission investigation “claimed to have ‘extradited’ women from Colombia to work in his brothels.”
Union “checkers” can have enormous salaries and potential for abuse. Checker John Riccobono was removed from the ports after the Commission found that he attended crew dinners where the Gambino crime family discussed business, and communicated with Gambino capo “Sonny” Juliano in prison.
Andrew Marano Jr.’s referral to work as a checker was blocked by the Commission after claiming he was “completely unaware” that his girlfriend’s father, “Charlie Tuna” Giustra, was in the mafia, despite having dinner with him the night before he went to prison.
In September 2019, former longshoremen were sentenced related to a loansharking and gambling scheme involving Genovese solder Vito Alberti. In 2020, longshoreman James Gunsherfksi Jr. was suspended after being arrested for assaulting a woman with a frying pan, and longshoreman Robert Florio was suspended after being arrested for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm with a filed-off serial number.
Efforts to discredit the Waterfront Commission’s work as unnecessary and overly restricted only seemed to make the opposite case: One of the people who sued claiming that the Commission’s background checks were slowing down hiring too much was the son of Pasquale “Pattty the Clubber” Falccetti, Sr., “a capo in the Genovese organized crime family who was convicted multiple times of extortion conspiracy and racketeering activities on the waterfront.”
Another who took to the courts to try to block the Commission’s actions was Frank Ferrera, a purported maintenance man with a $355,000 “special package” who denied knowing anyone in the mob, but who was associated with Falccetti, Genovese soldier “Little Carm” Della Cava, and Andrew Gigante, the son of former Genovese boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante.
“Expert testimony during the trial revealed that Gigante had served as a messenger between his father and Falcetti regarding ILA matters,” the Commission said, with a judge noting “the uncontroverted power over waterfront labor and industry exercised by the Genovese crime family.”
In 2017, the Commission bounced the application of Anthony Battaglia, who wanted to be a “maintenance man.” Battaglia is the son of “Sally Hot Dogs” Battaglia, a former Local 1181 president who was sent to prison for taking bribes. The younger Battaglia also had his own history at the center of labor and the mob.
New Jersey withdrew from the bistate Waterfront Commission, leaving only a significantly weaker New York version, following lobbying by the ILA. The Democrat legislature passed a bill to do so, but Republican Gov. Chris Christie intially vetoed it, saying nothing in the law permitted one state to unilaterally withdraw. But on his last day in office, he signed it. The courts went back and forth on whether the withdraw was legal or not, until the Supreme Court said it was.
That meant the last public report documenting the ILA’s mob ties was in 2020. Daggett did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

US Dockworker Strike Shutters Eastern And Gulf Coast Ports

Auditors Found 18% Of Longshoremen’s Union Hires Had Mob Ties. The Union Had The Auditor Shut Down.

Crime

Money

U.S.

Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> authorized state troops to go to ports throughout the state that are being impacted by dock worker strikes so that they can stay open and functioning as the southern part of the country reels from a deadly hurricane that has killed hundreds.
DeSantis, who made the remarks during a press conference early on Thursday, said that the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard were being deployed to &#8220;critical ports affected to maintain order and, if possible, resume operations which would otherwise be shut down during this interruption.&#8221;
The announcement comes after Hurricane Helene ripped through several southern states late last week, leading to severe flooding that has devastated numerous communities and <a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/southeast-us-reels-storm-helene-211640919.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> at least 200 people.
&#8220;And I would say that this is something that would have significant impacts on the nation&#8217;s economy anyways, but to have this happen in a way that could negatively impact people that are reeling from a Category 4 Hurricane, that is just simply unacceptable,&#8221; DeSantis said. &#8220;So it really is incumbent upon the Biden-Harris administration to do everything in their power to ensure that these goods are where we need to be, that people are not left hanging out in the cold waiting for these goods if they&#8217;re sitting in the ocean somewhere and they&#8217;re not being able to be used here in the state of Florida or in Georgia or in North Carolina, or where people are going to desperately need this.&#8221;
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He said that Biden-Harris had a &#8220;responsibility to stand up for the storm victims, stand up for the people who have had their homes damaged or who have lost their homes, and make sure they have what they need to get back on their feet.&#8221;
The governor also announced the following measures to help the flow of goods from ports to consumers:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;The Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard will be deployed to ports affected by the strike to maintain order and, where possible, resume operations at ports which are otherwise shut down.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;The Florida Department of Transportation will waive the collection of tolls and fees as well as size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles, which will help expedite the transportation of goods from our ports while offsetting operational costs.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;The Florida Highway Patrol will manage the flow of traffic from all Florida seaports as needed to further expedite the flow of goods held up by the strike. FHP will provide law enforcement escorts for commercial motor vehicles upon request.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
&#8220;Unlike the federal government, Florida is taking decisive action to ensure that our economy continues to function and that victims of Hurricane Helene will have access to what they need to rebuild,&#8221; he added in a statement.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
At my direction, the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard will be deployed to critical ports affected by the strike to maintain order and, where possible, resume operations.
It is unacceptable for the Biden-Harris administration to allow supply chain interruptions… <a href="https://t.co/KfzVbBgI10">pic.twitter.com/KfzVbBgI10</a>
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1841884156760072296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2024</a></blockquote>

DeSantis

DeSantis Sends Troops To Keep Ports Open Amid Strike As South Reels From Hurricane

Economy

Florida

Ron DeSantis

The dock worker strike that reportedly cost the economy billions per day just weeks before the election has ended with the union and port ownership striking a &#8220;tentative agreement&#8221; on Thursday.
In a joint statement, the International Longshoremen’s Association and port ownership, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, <a href="https://ilaunion.org/joint-statement-regarding-master-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> they would extend the expired contract until January.
The two sides said they &#8220;have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.&#8221;
&#8220;Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,&#8221; the statement read.
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The wage agreement <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/03/business/port-strike-union-deal/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> consists of a $4 an hour raise for each year of the six year contract. The final details of the deal still have to be worked out.
The tentative deal still has to be ratified by rank-and-file union members. If members vote against it, the strike could start again.
President Biden praised the new agreement in a statement.
“Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical progress towards a strong contract,” Biden said.
“I congratulate the dockworkers from the ILA, who deserve a strong contract after sacrificing so much to keep our ports open during the pandemic. And I applaud the port operators and carriers who are members of the US Maritime Alliance for working hard and putting a strong offer on the table,” the president added.
Biden could have forced the strikers back to work by invoking the Taft Hartley act, which requires a 80-day cooling off period, but he refused to do so. 
On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the strike. 
Harris put out a statement saying the strike is about “fairness,” and blamed &#8220;foreign-owned shipping companies” for their “record profits” and bigger executive salaries. The Democratic presidential nominee found herself caught between courting the union vote and averting economic disaster.
The dockworkers union has donated <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/international-longshoremens-assn/C00158576/summary/2020">more than</a> $1.6 million to Democrats under union president Harold Daggett, who threatened to “cripple” the economy if dockworkers did not get the contract they wanted.
Daggett endorsed President Joe Biden, but began lashing out at the White House as the strike drew near.
The massive strike snarled supply chains, and consumers could still feel some effects over the next month despite the strike lasting only a few days.
However, many food sellers such as packaged food maker ConAgra stocked products early since they saw the strike coming. The union&#8217;s negotiations broke down over the summer.
Nevertheless, some shoppers panic bought items like toilet paper, which ran out at Costco stores across the country, as shoppers <a href="https://www.fox29.com/news/port-strike-panic-buying-costco-toilet-paper-frenzy-making-rounds-social-media">tried</a> to stock up.

TOPSHOT-US-LOGISTICS-TRADE-STRIKE-PORT

Dock Workers End Strike With ‘Tentative Agreement’ For Higher Wages

Dock Workers End Strike With 'Tentative Agreement' For Higher Wages

Biden Administration

One of the oldest cliches in Hollywood is that, if you want a story involving insane levels of corruption and over-the-top mob tactics, you should probably have a lot of dockworkers in your film. Some of the most famous movies ever made, like &#8220;On the Waterfront&#8221; starring Marlon Brando, made use of this conceit involving longshoremen. For generations, everyone&#8217;s understood that this industry functions a bit like a fiefdom, independent of the rest of the country. It promotes from within. It protects its own. And when it wants something, it&#8217;s not afraid to shut down the U.S. economy in order to get it.
Over the years, various presidents have had to tangle with the dockworkers and their unions. Some of these presidents, like FDR and Obama, have granted dockworkers massive concessions. Other presidents, like George W. Bush, went to <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2002/10/08/news/ports_longshoremen/">court</a> and used the Taft-Hartley Act to end strikes that were costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars a day. But no administration in the history of this country has adopted the approach that the Biden-Harris administration is now taking.
Right now, without any objection from the White House whatsoever, a 78-year-old union boss named Harold Daggett is proudly shaking down the entire country. He&#8217;s going on television wearing gold medallions and flaunting his $700,000 salary as his union, the 50,000-member International Longshoremen’s Association, shuts down 36 ports — including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. These ports, taken together, handle more than 50% of the imports and exports to this country. The cost to the U.S. economy is more than $4 billion a day, and very soon, this shutdown could lead to shortages and mass layoffs.
And Harold Daggett has made it very clear that he doesn&#8217;t care about any of these effects. He doesn&#8217;t care what happens to millions of Americans as a result of this strike. Watch:
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Longshoremen pres. boasts about a strike hurting everyday Americans: “People never gave a shit about us until now, when they finally realize that the chain is being broke now. Cars won’t come in, food won’t come in, clothing won’t come in.” <a href="https://t.co/rHJf1e96YU">pic.twitter.com/rHJf1e96YU</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1841138309801918954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Notice that there&#8217;s no rational argument here. He&#8217;s not arguing that dockworkers deserve higher salaries because they can&#8217;t make ends meet, or because they&#8217;re doing such a great job, or because they&#8217;re efficient, or any of that. He&#8217;s saying they should receive higher salaries because they&#8217;re holding America hostage. They have the power, so we need to pay the ransom.
When you look at the specific demands this union is making, the absurdity becomes even more apparent. Daggett wants the ports to give dockworkers a 77% pay raise to $69.00 an hour, after turning down a 50% pay raise. That&#8217;s far more than dockworkers make on the West Coast. Daggett also wants more &#8220;container royalties,&#8221; which gives money to longshoremen even if they&#8217;re not working. And he wants a complete ban on any forms of automation at ports.
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Previously I&#8217;ve talked about the rise of automation, and how it&#8217;s a threat to many Americans&#8217; jobs. There are obviously a lot of important concerns as far as how automation is used, and how many jobs it&#8217;s allowed to replace. But in this context, this blanket demand — that no automation is used at all — is a dead giveaway. It&#8217;s evidence that these dockworkers don&#8217;t care about the economy at all, or remaining competitive with what other countries are doing.
Here&#8217;s a look at what they&#8217;re doing in ports in China, to give you some idea.
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Longshoremen in China:
The Chinese port in Guangzhou. 
Virtual Longshoremen unload ships remotely with 5G, and help supervise AI vehicles that automatically drive the containers to trucks and load them, all remotely. <a href="https://t.co/Tt5J0oP1yr">pic.twitter.com/Tt5J0oP1yr</a>
&mdash; Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianRoemmele/status/1840913618982093229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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They still have people working there, as you can see. But they&#8217;re using cellular connections and computers to remotely unload and offload the cargo. In many cases, that&#8217;s safer, faster, and cheaper than having humans do it. We don&#8217;t have any of this, and it&#8217;s because of unions. These unions are a big part of why U.S. ports are so inefficient compared to ports all over the world. As recently as 2020, the World Bank found that there wasn&#8217;t a single U.S. port that ranked in the top 50 global ports in terms of &#8220;getting a ship in and out of port,&#8221; quickly and affordably. Not a single one. Overall, our ports are about half as efficient as global ports on average. And now, the unions representing the workers at these ports are demanding a massive raise — along with a ban on any form of technology that could make the ports more efficient.
If the Biden administration wanted to put an end to this, they could. They could do what Bush did, and take this union to court. They could apply public pressure. They could also threaten to repeal other laws on the books that already benefit the dockworkers&#8217; unions. There&#8217;s something called the Jones Act, for example. It requires that all goods transported between U.S. ports by water are carried on ships that are built in the U.S. and crewed by Americans. This leads to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs, but unions <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/opinion/port-strike-shipping-union-inflation-prices.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">love</a> the law because it means more union jobs are created.
Of course, that law won&#8217;t change, and no one in the Biden administration wants it to change. They don&#8217;t want to upset Harold Daggett — someone the DOJ once accused of being an &#8220;associate&#8221; of a mafia family. He has quite a life story, by the way. 
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/01/business/who-is-harold-daggett-the-port-union-boss-with-alleged-mafia-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>: 
<blockquote>Daggett took the witness stand that year after federal prosecutors charged him with racketeering. &#8230; During the course of the trial, one of Daggett’s co-defendants – Lawrence Ricci, an alleged major mob figure – disappeared. His body was found weeks later decomposing in the trunk of a car outside a New Jersey diner. Ricci’s death remained unsolved, though speculation circulated that he was killed after refusing to plead guilty to avoid news reports of the trial. &#8230; Daggett was acquitted.</blockquote>
So Harold Daggett beat that racketeering rap. And now he&#8217;s holding the U.S. economy hostage. Ships are having to re-route to the West Coast in order to prevent economic calamity, all because of him. It&#8217;s quite a recovery for Harold Daggett&#8217;s career. For the rest of us, it&#8217;s a crisis that has no real precedent in the past several decades.
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And this is just one of the several disasters that are unfolding in the final days of the Biden-Harris administration. Yesterday, Iran launched a volley of more than 180 ballistic missiles into Israel. This is the second direct attack by Iran against Israel in just the last few months. It&#8217;s put us much closer to World War III than we&#8217;ve been in recent history. And it comes just a year after the Biden administration&#8217;s national security adviser bragged that the Middle East was &#8220;quieter&#8221; than it&#8217;s been in two decades.  Watch:
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Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (last week): &quot;The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades&quot; <a href="https://t.co/59MYUXhmHf">pic.twitter.com/59MYUXhmHf</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1710747691024879691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A week after Jake Sullivan made that claim, Hamas terrorists backed by Iran committed a massacre in Israel. And now rockets are flying back and forth. And despite all of this, Jake Sullivan still has his job. He wasn&#8217;t fired. He wasn&#8217;t run out of Washington after making it abundantly clear that he has no idea what&#8217;s happening in the Middle East — which you&#8217;d think would be disqualifying for a national security adviser. They forced Mike Flynn out of the job of national security adviser after, what, three weeks? And then you have someone like Jake Sullivan, who&#8217;s obviously incompetent to the point of being dangerous, and he suffers no consequences whatsoever.
Again, nothing like this happened during the four years of the Trump administration. This level of international chaos, and complete ineptitude, simply was not present. Iran was not launching rockets directly into Israel, just like Russia wasn&#8217;t sending tanks directly into Ukraine. Are Iran and Russia taking advantage of the fact that the brain of the current U.S. president is basically applesauce at this point? That seems like a valid theory, especially since the Biden administration has no alternative hypothesis for what&#8217;s going on. If you ask them, everything&#8217;s fine — until suddenly it isn&#8217;t.
That&#8217;s the same story we&#8217;re seeing in North Carolina, as I discussed yesterday.
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Gut wrenching scenes from Western NC today. This is Chimney Rock — just downriver from Asheville. It’s one of the countless communities completely devastated by Helene that still need help. Give if you can, and please keep them all in your thoughts <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC11_WTVD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC11_WTVD</a> <a href="https://t.co/N7JDk0ygfz">pic.twitter.com/N7JDk0ygfz</a>
&mdash; Sean Coffey (@seancoffeytv) <a href="https://twitter.com/seancoffeytv/status/1841287895992201623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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After failing to evacuate residents from the western portion of the state, the federal government is now failing to help many of the survivors. Yesterday I shared an email that came from someone named Jason, who&#8217;s from the rural area of Ashe County. He reported that FEMA was nowhere in sight. Here&#8217;s an update he sent me last night: 
<blockquote>I just got home from volunteering with a search and rescue team in Lansing which is one of the flooded rural towns. &#8230; Funny thing is the FEMA people showed up today but they are worthless. We ran into a bunch while we were delivering water and generators and they were just walking around making sure that people were still in the house.</blockquote>
So the federal government is still failing to help people in the most devastated rural areas. And communications are still spotty, in part because the government didn&#8217;t want to spend any money on Elon Musk&#8217;s Starlink system because they have a vendetta against Elon Musk. As a result, private citizens are now installing Starlink systems in the area. Journalist Nick Sortor just <a href="https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1841240114032431292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that &#8220;first responders still do not have reliable communications&#8221; in North Carolina after four days. He uploaded this footage of three North Carolina State Police units giving him a police escort so that he can deploy Starlink systems for others to use, and he added that the police are, &#8220;literally using MY Window Starlink to communicate with each other!&#8221; Watch:
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🚨 First responders *STILL* do not have reliable comms here in Western North Carolina
After FOUR DAYS.
The three NC State Police units giving us a police escort so that we can quickly deploy Starlinks across the region are literally using MY Window Starlink to communicate with… <a href="https://t.co/uLceenFYbL">pic.twitter.com/uLceenFYbL</a>
&mdash; Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1841240114032431292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars to prepare for disasters like this, ostensibly so that vital communications equipment and supplies are available within hours. But they haven&#8217;t been doing that. For the past several days, random people — citizen journalists and volunteers — have been doing a better job than the government agency that supposedly specializes in disaster relief.
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So wherever you look — whether it&#8217;s the Middle East, or North Carolina, or the nation&#8217;s ports — you&#8217;ll find an ongoing, once-in-a-lifetime disaster that&#8217;s threatening to spiral even further out of control. This is what the country — and the world — look like at the end of the Biden-Harris term. There are multiple catastrophes happening all at once. It&#8217;s impossible for anyone to deny that the world is a measurably worse and more dangerous place today than it was when they took office. Everyone knows it. Even Kamala Harris knows it. It&#8217;s why she had to duck the first question of the presidential debate, when she was asked whether Americans are better off now than they were four years ago. 
This is the Biden-Harris &#8220;legacy.&#8221; It&#8217;ll either end in January, or inevitably, these people will lead us into a major catastrophe that we can&#8217;t come back from.

How Dirty Union Greed Is Holding The American People Hostage

Floods

Hurricane Helene

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Shipping

strike

Vice President Kamala Harris sided Wednesday with dockworkers who launched a massive strike this week that threatens to cripple the economy.
“This strike is about fairness,&#8221; Harris <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1841518483638497456">said</a>. &#8220;Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown. The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.&#8221;
Harris also threw in a barb at her opponent, accusing former President Donald Trump of making &#8220;empty promises&#8221; to workers and promising that she will &#8220;have workers’ backs&#8221; and fight for an &#8220;opportunity economy.&#8221;
“Donald Trump, on the other hand, wants to pull us back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;Donald Trump makes empty promise after empty promise to American workers, but never delivers. He thinks our economy should only work for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them.&#8221;
The dockworkers union has donated<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/international-longshoremens-assn/C00158576/summary/2020"> more than</a> $1.6 million to Democrats under union president Harold Daggett, who threatened to &#8220;cripple&#8221; the economy if dockworkers did not get the contract they wanted.
Daggett endorsed President Joe Biden, but began lashing out at the White House as the strike drew near. But relations appear to be warming between the union and the administration on several fronts. Also on Wednesday, Daggett thanked Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su for speaking out in support of the striking dock workers.
Su put out a statement slamming port owners for refusing &#8220;to put an offer on the table that reflects workers’ sacrifice and contributions to their employer’s profits&#8221; as &#8220;their CEOs bring in millions of dollars in compensation per year.&#8221;
Daggett made $728,000 last year as union president, plus another $173,000 as president emeritus of the New Jersey local, POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/25/dockworkers-strike-disrupt-economy-election-00181005">reported</a>.
The strike snarls supply chains and is likely to cause delays or even shortages of products like coffee, bananas, cars, clothing, and Christmas decorations. The union rejected a last-minute deal from port ownership which offered the union a nearly 50% wage raise. The union had demanded higher wages and zero port automation.
President Joe Biden could pause the strike for 80 days under the Taft-Hartley Act, but he has indicated he has no intention of doing so. Some have speculated that the president is unwilling to go out of his way to help Harris after Democrats ousted him from the presidential ticket, while others have wondered if the administration is simply courting the union vote.
Harris has struggled to lock in the union vote, usually an easy voting bloc for Democrats to sway. She is the first Democratic presidential candidate to not get the Teamsters’ endorsement in nearly 30 years. Nearly 60% of the union’s 1.3 million members support Trump, internal polling found.
As the strike continues, Harris is caught between trying to appease thousands of union members and averting economic disaster. So far, she has faced an uphill battle to win over voters with her economic message, and polls show that the majority of voters favor Trump on the economy.

Sen. Kamala Harris Speaks At Her Alma Mater Howard University

Kamala Endorses Dockworkers Strike That Union Boss Boasted Would ‘Cripple’ The Economy

Kamala Sides With Striking Dock Workers Upending The Economy

Harris 2024

The union boss who launched a massive dockworkers strike on Wednesday thanked the Biden-Harris administration&#8217;s Labor Secretary for her &#8220;wisdom.&#8221;
Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen&#8217;s Association, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ILAUnion">responded</a> to a statement from Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su expressing support for the union&#8217;s demands. Daggett said the union&#8217;s 85,000 members are &#8220;grateful for the wisdom, courage and leadership of our Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su.&#8221;
“Our ILA rank and file members will continue to strike for fair wages and their share of the Foreign Ocean Carriers record billion-dollar profits and we are grateful to have the support of the U.S. Labor Department,” Daggett <a href="https://ilaunion.org/acting-u-s-labor-secretary-julie-su-says-giant-shipping-magnates-should-share-their-economic-success-with-ila-longshore-workers/">said</a>.
Su<a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20241001"> praised</a> dock workers for putting &#8220;their health and safety on the line to keep working through the pandemic,&#8221; and slammed port owners for refusing &#8220;to put an offer on the table that reflects workers’ sacrifice and contributions to their employer’s profits&#8221; as &#8220;their CEOs bring in millions of dollars in compensation per year.&#8221;
Su&#8217;s words of support could signal a return to normal relations between the White House and the union, which has donated<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/international-longshoremens-assn/C00158576/summary/2020"> more than</a> $1.6 million to Democrats on Daggett’s watch. Daggett endorsed President Joe Biden, but began lashing out at the White House as the strike drew near. About 45,000 dock workers walked off the job and hit the picket lines on Tuesday in a massive strike that has shut down billions of dollars in trade.
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“The American economy has defied all expectations thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s leadership,&#8221; Su said. &#8220;There is room for both companies and their workers to prosper. The parties need to get back to the negotiating table, and that must begin with these giant shipping magnates acknowledging that if they can make record profits, their workers should share in that economic success.”
The strike snarls supply chains and chokes off nearly 50% of U.S. imports, including products like coffee, bananas, cars, clothing, and Christmas decorations. A total of 14 ports along the East and Gulf Coast are affected, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The union rejected a last-minute deal from port ownership, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, which offered the union a nearly 50% wage raise. The union had demanded higher wages and zero port automation.
Su <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-taps-california-official-who-oversaw-billions-in-covid-unemployment-fraud-to-serve-as-labor-secretary">oversaw</a> billions of dollars in COVID unemployment fraud as Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Su, who never secured Senate confirmation, recently came under fire for a proposed rule that would require companies involved in the Labor Department&#8217;s apprenticeship program to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion measures, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rep-banks-grills-bidens-labor-sec-on-claim-that-apprentice-programs-are-racist-sexist">reported</a>.

US-LOGISTICS-TRADE-STRIKE-PORT

Biden Labor Secretary Signals Support For Striking Workers After Union Boss Boasts They’ll ‘Cripple’ U.S.

Biden Labor Secretary, Dockworker Union Boss Exchange Pleasantries Amid Strike

Politics

Tens of thousands of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dock workers</a> along the East Coast expressed their frustrations as they hit the picket lines Tuesday morning in a massive strike that has shut down billions of dollars in trade.
The International Longshoremen’s Association launched the strike at midnight after port ownership failed to meet its demands for higher wages and address the union’s objections to port automation.
&#8220;We are ILA!&#8221; union members chanted on the picket line at some ports.
They held signs reading, “Corporate greed or worker rights. ILA demands fairness,” “Automation hurts families,” and “ILA workers over machines. Defend our jobs and rights.”
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Dock workers striking at port of Savannah, Georgia <a href="https://t.co/9W7Q2nNGm9">pic.twitter.com/9W7Q2nNGm9</a>
&mdash; Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1841224266081321354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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🧵Dock worker strike begins! 
I went down to the Philadelphia port and captured the scene.
45k union members with the International Longshoremen&#39;s Association walked off the job at midnight, halting billions in trade <a href="https://t.co/g1Hkn5PohN">pic.twitter.com/g1Hkn5PohN</a>
&mdash; Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1841130162299048297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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About 45,000 dock workers are refusing to work, which will snarl supply chains and choke off nearly 50% of U.S. imports. A total of 14 ports are affected, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the ports in Boston, Philadelphia, Wilmington, North Carolina, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, New Orleans, Mobile, and Houston.
Daggett, the union boss, <a href="https://ilaunion.org/ila-president-harold-j-daggett-joins-picket-lines-throughout-port-newark-elizabeth-at-start-of-strike-rallies-tens-of-thousands-of-ila-members-to-stay-strong-and-united/">joined</a> dock workers on the picket line at Port Authority in New Jersey, where he delivered expletive-laden rallying cries and had heated responses for reporters.
&#8220;This is going down in history, what we&#8217;re doing here,&#8221; Daggett said. &#8220;Who&#8217;s the greedy one here? These companies over in Europe. They don&#8217;t give a f*** about us. We&#8217;re going to show them they&#8217;re going to have to give a f*** about us cause nothing&#8217;s going to move without us.&#8221;
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&#8220;We&#8217;re going to keep this thing going,&#8221; Daggett said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to be on the news. We&#8217;re going to win this f***ing thing, trust me. They can&#8217;t survive too long, and we&#8217;re going to get what the f*** we deserve, believe me. God bless all of you for being here.&#8221;
When a reporter remarked the strike would &#8220;grind the economy to a halt&#8221; and asked if Daggett was worried it would hurt the &#8220;everyday American,&#8221; Daggett responded, &#8220;Not us, they are. Don&#8217;t spin it now. &#8230; Now you start to realize who the longshoremen are, right? People never gave a s*** about us until now.&#8221;
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President of the International Longshoremen’s Association, Harold J. Daggett, 100% means business:
&quot;People never gave a s*** about us until now. When they finally realized that the chain is being broke now &#8230; You know how many people depend on our jobs. Half the world! It&#39;s… <a href="https://t.co/dQalTgbgsQ">pic.twitter.com/dQalTgbgsQ</a>
&mdash; Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1841129889963069811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Since the threat of a strike started making headlines, Daggett&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-donor-union-boss-with-alleged-mob-ties-fights-biden-over-dock-worker-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged</a> mafia ties and over $900,000 income have come under scrutiny. Daggett also <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/01/business/who-is-harold-daggett-the-port-union-boss-with-alleged-mafia-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> used to own a yacht named &#8220;Obsession&#8221; and has been spotted driving around in a Bentley.
Daggett endorsed President Joe Biden, and the ILA has donated <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/international-longshoremens-assn/C00158576/summary/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than</a> $1.6 million to Democrats on Daggett’s watch. However, Daggett began lashing out at Biden as the strike grew near.
Biden has the authority under the Taft-Hartley Act to force union workers to stay on the job for another 80 days, but Biden has made clear that he has no intention of getting involved.
Another one of the country&#8217;s most powerful unions, the Teamsters, <a href="https://x.com/Teamsters/status/1840930034946883799">released</a> an expletive-laden statement Monday evening supporting the dock worker union, saying they are &#8220;100% committed&#8221; to standing with the dock workers and that the ocean carriers are &#8220;on strike against themselves.&#8221;
&#8220;The U.S. government should stay the f*** out of this fight and allow union workers to withhold their labor for the wages and benefits they have earned,&#8221; the Teamsters said in their statement. On Tuesday, Teamsters General President Sean O&#8217;Brien walked the picket line with dock workers in Boston.
The dock worker union vowed to remain on the picket lines for as long as it takes.
&#8220;We plan on being here 24/7 until we finalize or get a good contract from the shippers. The plan right now is, we&#8217;re just looking for a fair contract, and we&#8217;re fighting automation. It&#8217;s pretty simple,&#8221; Bernie O&#8217;Donnell, vice president for the union’s New England area, told local news in Boston.
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The ILA is not answering questions, only reiterating why they’re going on strike.
Brief comment tonight from Bernie ODonnell, international Vice President for the union’s New England area. <a href="https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBC10Boston</a> <a href="https://t.co/XnibBpZWZt">pic.twitter.com/XnibBpZWZt</a>
&mdash; Kirsten Glavin (@kirstenglavin) <a href="https://twitter.com/kirstenglavin/status/1840971277198152014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The strike is &#8220;terrifying&#8221; for companies that import goods, said Ryan Peterson, founder of Flexport, a supply chain management company. For consumers, a longer strike could mean higher prices, he said.
&#8220;If this drags on for weeks or heaven forbid months, I think you will certainly see increases in prices and shortages in all kinds of goods,&#8221; Peterson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6362715495112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Fox News.
Peterson also warned that the union&#8217;s demands would hit Americans&#8217; wallets.
&#8220;A 30-70% increase in cost of labor would tank most businesses. But ports are a monopolist, so all the cost increases will get passed on to the carriers who pass it on to the merchants who pass it on to you, the consumer,&#8221; Peterson <a href="https://x.com/typesfast/status/1841115498840539142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X.
Negotiations broke down over the summer and the union rejected a last-minute <a href="https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/9-30-24_USMX_UPDATE_Status_of_USMX-ILA_Negotiations.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offer</a> from port ownership, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, which offered the union a nearly 50% wage raise.
However, a deal may be near since the union is seeking a 61.5% raise over a six year contract, down from the 77% they initially asked for. Daggett said in a statement Tuesday that they are demanding a $5-an-hour increase in wages for each of the six years of a new contract, plus &#8220;absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation&#8221; and that &#8220;all Container Royalty monies&#8221; go to the union.

Dock Workers Sound Off As They Hit Picket Lines In Massive Strike

PHILADELPHIA—Tens of thousands of dockworkers took to picket lines at over a dozen ports along the East Coast on Tuesday, launching a massive strike slated to bring billions of dollars in trade to a halt just weeks before the election.
The International Longshoremen’s Association launched the strike after port ownership failed to meet its demands for higher wages and address the union’s objections to port automation. About 45,000 workers will refuse to work during the strike, which will snarl supply chains and choke off nearly 50% of U.S. imports.
The Daily Wire was on the ground early Tuesday morning to see members of ILA Local 1291 picketing in front of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Port In Philadelphia.
&#8220;Automation hurts families,&#8221; read one sign union members carried.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805599" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-1024x113.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="113" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-1024x113.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-300x33.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-768x85.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-1536x170.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/original_d08a4192-68e7-4d91-9fff-96e225bda07d_PXL_20241001_132947170-2048x226.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
&#8220;Corporate greed or worker rights. ILA demands fairness&#8221; read another.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805607" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/corporategreed-768x576.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/corporategreed-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/corporategreed-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/corporategreed-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/corporategreed.jpg 1966w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></div>
Other signs read, &#8220;ILA workers over machines. Defend our jobs and rights&#8221; and &#8220;ILA demands job security.&#8221;
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805597" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines-765x576.jpg" alt="" width="765" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines-765x576.jpg 765w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines-1536x1156.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/overmachines.jpg 1958w" sizes="(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px" /></div>
Workers marched in a circle holding their signs, while some sat in chairs nearby.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805611" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/sitting-768x576.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/sitting-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/sitting-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/sitting-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/sitting.jpg 1966w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></div>
Stacks of shipping containers could be seen sitting inside the port.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805603" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-829x576.jpg" alt="" width="829" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-829x576.jpg 829w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-768x533.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/crates-2048x1423.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 829px) 100vw, 829px" /></div>
A Philadelphia police cruiser was present at the scene.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-805605" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser-765x576.jpg" alt="" width="765" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser-765x576.jpg 765w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser-1536x1156.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/cruiser.jpg 1958w" sizes="(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px" /></div>

Dock1

PHOTOS: Dockworker Strike Hits Philadelphia Port

Dockworker Strike Hits Philadelphia Port

Biden

Philadelphia

Tens of thousands of dock workers at ports along the East and Gulf coasts walked off the job at midnight on Tuesday, a massive strike that brings billions of dollars in trade to a screeching halt.
The International Longshoremen&#8217;s Association launched the strike after port ownership failed to meet its demands for higher wages and address the union&#8217;s objections to port automation. Negotiations broke down over the summer and the two sides are still at an impasse.
About 45,000 workers will refuse to work during the strike, which will snarl supply chains and choke off nearly 50% of U.S. imports. A total of 14 ports are affected including the Port Authority in New Jersey and the ports in Boston, Philadelphia, Wilmington, North Carolina, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, New Orleans, Mobile, and Houston.
Overnight workers quickly began to picket, and pictures of the striking workers popped up on social media almost immediately.
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BREAKING – Over 45k union dockworkers with ILA are officially on strike, shutting down all East and Gulf coast ports, from New York to Miami to Houston. They’re standing to protect their future against the shipping companies forcing automation on the docks. <a href="https://t.co/BnRqZzkHqT">pic.twitter.com/BnRqZzkHqT</a>
&mdash; On the Line (@laborontheline) <a href="https://twitter.com/laborontheline/status/1840967812099043503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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On Monday, the union rejected a last-minute <a href="https://www.usmx.com/assets/content/public-resources/9-30-24_USMX_UPDATE_Status_of_USMX-ILA_Negotiations.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offer</a> from port ownership, represented by the United States Maritime Alliance, which offered the union a nearly 50% wage raise. The alliance also said it offered to triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, better health care options, and to keep the current language around automation and semi-automation.
The union <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ILAUnion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reaffirmed</a> its plans to strike earlier in the day, saying in a statement that port ownership continues to “block” a “fair and decent contract and seems intent on causing a strike at all ports from Maine to Texas.”
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It’s official. The East and Gulf Coast ports of the United States of America are on strike. 
The ILA hasn’t announced a port strike (I keep furiously refreshing their Facebook page) but picket lines are now visible on the gate cameras:<a href="https://t.co/NhmITnH9vj">https://t.co/NhmITnH9vj</a> <a href="https://t.co/tbFiomZC6Y">pic.twitter.com/tbFiomZC6Y</a>
&mdash; Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) <a href="https://twitter.com/typesfast/status/1840968397288620502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject,” the union said Monday. “ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing.&#8221;
Depending on how long the strike lasts, Americans could see <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-coffee-to-christmas-trees-heres-what-a-dock-workers-strike-would-disrupt">shortages and delays</a> past the election and into the holiday season.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/facts-ep-18-striking-workers">WATCH: Ben Shapiro Explains Why the Dockworkers Strike Could Impact You</a>
Bananas, coffee, cocoa, pharmaceuticals, clothing, furniture, vehicles, and even Christmas decorations are among the products that will be affected. As far as American exports, beef, poultry, pork, eggs, and cotton will be impacted as well.
The union&#8217;s president Harold Daggett took an aggressive negotiating stance as the strike approached.
&#8220;I&#8217;ll cripple you, and you have no idea what that means,&#8221; Daggett warned in a video message a few weeks ago.
The Biden-Harris administration had the ability to stop the strike, but has opted not to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act, which gives the president the power to keep workers on the job.
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&#8220;I have not been very focused on that,&#8221; Biden commerce secretary Gina Raimondo says about the upcoming dock worker strike that will choke off half of U.S. imports tomorrow
What exactly has she been focused on?<a href="https://t.co/rl71mpfyBN">pic.twitter.com/rl71mpfyBN</a>
— Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1840777808420721151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Critics say the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-dock-worker-strike-could-cost-kamala-the-white-house-why-wont-biden-stop-it">administration didn&#8217;t do enough</a> to bring the two sides together. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was asked on Monday about the strike, and admitted that she has &#8220;not been very focused&#8221; on it.

Massive Strike By Dockworkers Threatens To Stop Work At Ports Along East Coast And Beyond

Dock Workers Go On Strike, Billions Of Dollars In Trade Screeches To A Halt

Massive Dock Worker Strike Begins

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