ILA’s Harold J. Daggett “subjected to death threats”

ILA President Harold J. Daggett (center) has been on the picket lines as port strike continues. [Photo: ILA]

As the port strike that has closed U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports entered its third day, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) reported that its president, and chief negotiator, Harold J. Daggett, has been subjected to death threats and harassment. These have come, says the union, since the New York Post newspaper this week published aerial photographs of Dagget’s New Jersey home, including posting his address in an article.

“They printed other details of his personal life, full of false accusations against him, with the sole intent on destroying his character and disparaging his 68-year ILA career, with the intention of weakening his ability to negotiate a new Master Contract for ILA members,” says the ILA.

“The publication of pictures of Mr. Daggett’s home is reckless and places Mr. Daggett and his family at great risk of personal harm,” his attorney, Michael Critchley wrote to Genie Gavenchak, the senior vice president and deputy general counsel for the New York Post. “Mr. Daggett has already received several threats to his life. The N.Y. Post must immediately remove these pictures from all versions of the article and refrain from any further publications of pictures of Mr. Daggett’s home.”

As this was written, the story was still on the newspaper’s website.

“In telephone calls made to the staff of the International Longshoremen’s Association, and to countless ILA Locals up and down the coast, President Daggett and other ILA top officers have received vicious death threats and other forms of intimidation,” says the ILA.

LATEST USMX STATEMENT

In other developments since we last reported on the issue, the employers’ organization, the United States Marine Alliance released a statement saying: “USMX’s goal continues to be focused on ratifying a new Master Contract that addresses all the critical issues the parties need to bargain. Reaching an agreement will require negotiating – and our full focus is on how to return to the table to further discuss these vital components, many of which are intertwined. We cannot agree to preconditions to return to bargaining – but we remain committed to bargaining in good faith to address the ILA’s demands and USMX’s concerns.”

PLEA FOR ADMINISTRATION TO INTERVENE

Yesterday the National Retail Federation (NRF) was joined by a coalition of 272 trade associations representing a broad range of supply chain stakeholders in sending a letter to President Biden calling upon him and the administration to “immediately use your authorities to end the strike which has shut down all East Coast and Gulf Coast container ports. Given the dire situation and the massive negative ramifications for our industries and the economy, we implore you to take immediate action to resolve this situation expeditiously.”

“While we would have all preferred for the collective bargaining process to have worked and the parties to have negotiated and reached a deal, that was not the case. The administration must now step in to not only get the ports open again but work with the parties to resolve the outstanding contract issues. The only way the parties can agree on a new deal is if they return to the negotiating table with the help of a federal mediator to ensure they bargain in good faith.”

Read the letter HERE