From: Dennis A. Daggett
Executive Vice President, International Longshoremen’s Association
General Coordinator, International Dockworkers Council
Brothers and Sisters of ILA Local 1771,
I want to take a moment to personally thank every one of you for your support and solidarity during the recent Anti-Automation Conference held in Lisbon, Portugal. Your Local’s decision to send officers to participate in this historic gathering did not go unnoticed. It meant a great deal to us at the International and to me personally in my dual role as General Coordinator of the International Dockworkers Council.
We chose Lisbon for a reason. This conference was dedicated to the members and officers of SEAL, the dockworkers’ union of Portugal whose extraordinary five-year strike will forever stand as one of the greatest modern examples of courage and endurance in our global labor movement. In today’s world, the very idea of sustaining a five-year struggle is almost unimaginable. Yet the men and women of SEAL stood their ground against exploitation, intimidation, and deliberate attempts to break their spirit. Their strength inspired dockworkers across continents, and it continues to motivate all of us who refuse to surrender to job-killing technologies and unchecked corporate power.
Their participation demonstrated something powerful, that the ILA is unified, local by local, coast to coast, in our commitment to protect longshore jobs and defend the future of every working family in our industry.
As you know, automation and job-eliminating technologies remain the greatest threat to our livelihood. The employers call it modernization. We know what it really is: an attempt to erase generations of longshore work under the guise of progress. But the ILA is taking the lead globally in this fight, and we cannot, and will not, do it alone. The strength of our movement depends on the strength and support of our Locals.
Local 1771 has shown that support. And I want to thank you for it.
Your officers represented you, and the entire ILA family, with distinction. Their commitment reflects the values that built this union: unity, loyalty, courage, and a belief in protecting the rights and dignity of hardworking men and women.
We have difficult battles ahead, but with Locals like 1771 standing with us, I am confident that our movement will continue to lead, continue to fight, and continue to win.
Thank you for your solidarity, your trust, and your unwavering belief in the future of the ILA.
In unity and strength,
Dennis A. Daggett
Executive Vice President, ILA
General Coordinator, IDC