Leaders of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), which recently splurged on expensive restaurants and fancy beach resorts, threatened to “paralyze” the American economy over unsatisfactory wages.
Members of the Coastal Workers Union set up picket lines at docks across the East Coast on Tuesday. blame corporate greed and carry A sign with the words “Profits above humanity cannot be tolerated'' demands a 77% increase over the next five years. The union has since reached A tentative agreement was reached to extend the old contract and suspend the strike until January 15, after which negotiations for a new contract would continue. Despite the union's strong rhetoric denouncing excessive wealth, union leaders have spent millions holding meetings at luxury seaside resorts and tens of thousands of dollars at gourmet restaurants on the union's tab. Workers have revealed that they have racked up considerable bills.
Longshore workers are already better compensated than virtually all other blue-collar workers. Thanks to generous overtime rules, a typical longshoreman earns about $100,000 a year hauling cargo off boats, and many earn more than $200,000. According to Go to CBS News. (Related: Gretchen Whitmer poised to sign bill to take money away from family caregivers to pay union leaders)
“Longshore workers are a kind of labor aristocracy,” Michael Watson, research director at the Capital Research Center and an expert on organized labor, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “As far as trade unions are concerned, the relatively high pay for union leadership and the ability of unions to invest money for their own purposes, whether for member events or executive events, One reason to understand this is because of something like their customs.
Showcasing the union's deep pockets, disclosure documents show it spent more than $4 million on a 2023 convention held at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. The convention lasted four days and was held to elect the ILA's leadership, with union representatives allowed to bring up to four family members with them.
The union held a social event for delegates at a beachfront resort, officials said. explanation Competition details on the ILA website.
Diplomat Beach Resort Features 300 feet long semi-private beach, award-winning steakhouse On-site poolside prime dry age beef and seafood bottle service, free There are water sports rentals and great views of the sea. In addition to the ILA leadership; Over 1,000 Delegates and their guests enjoyed the resort from July 24th to July 27th, 2023.
Longshoremen gather at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to spending union dues on lavish vacations in Florida, the ILA's leadership is well compensated.
ILA paid President Harold Daggett $855,261 in 2023. own Drive a Bentley convertible in a 7,136-square-foot Tudor mansion on 10 acres in New Jersey, recently sold 76 foot yacht. Daggett's son, Dennis, also earns a large salary funded by union dues, earning $467,664 in 2023, according to disclosures.
ILA has more than 20 other executives, with salaries ranging from $193,000 to nearly $700,000 a year, according to disclosure documents.
Disclosures also show that the ILA's leaders are big-time golfers.
In 2020, for example, the union spent $6,640 at The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club, a five-star golf resort on St. Simons Island, Georgia, according to disclosures. guest of The Lodge You'll receive a complimentary BMW to get around the island during your stay, access to 5 miles of private beach, and butler service. access You'll have access to three private golf courses and be invited into some luxurious spaces. activitycoastal wildlife bike tours, saltwater fishing trips, beach horseback riding, and more.
In addition to The Lodge, ILA spent about $55,000 on golf-related expenses from 2020 to 2023, according to disclosures.
The ILA is not immune to controversy. In 2005, federal authorities accused Abandoning management partnership contract with company that paid kickbacks to organized crime, Wall Street Journal reported. One Mafia member testified that Daggett was a member of the Genovese crime family. According to In the New York Times.
One of Daggett's co-defendants, Lawrence Rich, an alleged Genovese associate, disappeared during the trial, and his body was later found in the trunk of a car outside a New Jersey diner, the Journal reported. Daggett was ultimately acquitted.
When ILA members aren't staying in luxury hotels or fighting allegations of organized crime, they like to eat.
For example, the disclosure revealed that ILA spent $51,695 at Il Villaggio, an Italian restaurant outside New York City, in 2023. Expenditures were split almost evenly between “meetings” and “non-detailed transactions” for members. fine dining restaurant serve A selection of steaks, seafood and pasta.
ILA members collected an additional $5,394 in “non-statement transactions” at Hall's Chophouse in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2021, according to disclosures. restaurant boast There are plenty of pricier options, including $165 Australian New York strip steak, $34 an ounce of Japanese Wagyu beef, $70 bison steak, and assorted dry-aged meats and premium seafood.
Excluding ILA's 2023 conference spending, the union spent at least $742,000 at various luxury resorts between 2020 and 2023. For example, the union paid $14,798 for “meetings” and “non-itemized transactions” at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. five star resort In Maui, Hawaii in 2021.
Watson, the labor expert, said the ILA is seeking increased compensation in part so the union itself can earn more money from dues, which can be spent on luxury resorts. He claimed that the money could be used for a stay at the hotel and a meal at a high-end restaurant.
ILA did not respond to DCNF's request for comment.
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