Who Is Harold Daggett? Union Boss Behind Port Strike

Harold J. Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), has been thrust into the limelight this week as he spearheads the first port worker strike in almost 50 years.

Workers from Maine down to Texas walked off the job on October 1 after negotiations between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents employers of the East and Gulf Coast longshore industry. Leading the charge is Daggett, a longtime union member who believes port employers are underpaying workers and increasing automation along East Coast docks.

Negotiations between the ILA—which represents approximately 45,000 port workers across the East and Gulf coasts—and USMX made some progress regarding pay in the days before the strike began. However, the ILA said it rejected the alliance’s latest proposal because it fell short of what “rank-and-file members are demanding in wages and protections against automation.”

“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve,” Daggett said. “They must now meet our demands for this strike to end.”

Who Is Harold Daggett?

A native New Yorker, Daggett was born in Lower Manhattan and spent his childhood in Queens.

Once a port worker himself, after leaving the Navy, he began his longshoreman career as mechanic and worked his way up to foreman. He joined the ILA in 1967, and has served in various union roles since then, including as a wage scale delegate and secretary-treasurer of union branch ILA Local 1804-1 in New Jersey. He became president of the ILA in July 2011.

According to his ILA profile, Daggett has “has successfully negotiated two landmark six-year agreements with United States Maritime Alliance and is credited with bringing increased employment and stability for his ILA members, and growth for the industry at all ILA ports.”

In 2005, the U.S. Justice Department accused Daggett of being an “associate” of the Genovese crime family. He was charged with racketeering in 2005 and acquitted in two cases.

As for his personal life, Daggett also has three children—Lisa, Dennis, and John—as well as six grandchildren and two greatgrandsons. He now lives in Sparta, New Jersey.

What Has Harold Daggett Said About the Strike?

Daggett has been dogged about the union’s demands being met during negotiations, with requests including pay rises and restrictions on automation.

Speaking from a picket line in North Bergen, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Daggett said he was “not playing games” and that if the ILA doesn’t get its demands, “this port will never open up again.”

“I’m going to fight for it because those greedy companies are making billions of dollars and they don’t want to share,” Daggett added. “I want my members taken care of for the rest of their lives, and that’s why we’re out here.”

In a separate interview with Fox News, he said: “When my men hit the streets, from Maine to Texas, every single port will lock down.

“Who’s going to win here in the long run? You’re better off sitting down [and] getting a contract,” Daggett added. “Let’s move on with this world. I will cripple you, and you have no idea what that means.”

Harold Daggett’s Net Worth

Exactly how much Daggett is worth is not known. However, according to a report by Politico, he was paid a $728,000 salary by the ILA in 2023, as well as $173,000 from 1804-1.

Fox Business said that Daggett owns a 76-foot yacht, the Obsession, and has been seen riding in a Bentley.

Harold Daggett’s Ties to Donald Trump

While Daggett has not publicly spoken of any relationship he has with Republican nominee Trump, the pair met in 2023, and Daggett issued a statement on behalf of the ILA following the attempted assassination attempt in July.

“It was sickening to watch a political rally suddenly turn into a bloody battlefield with our former President Trump the target of a deranged shooter,” Daggett said. “The ILA and its 85,000 members join all Americans in offering collective prayers to Donald Trump, his family and the victims at Saturday’s rally.”

During their 2023 meeting, Daggett said he discussed the “threat of automation” with Trump and that the pair had a “wonderful, productive 90-minute meeting” in which the Republican pledged to support the ILA.

Since the strike began, Trump has expressed his backing for striking workers. “American workers should be able to negotiate for better wages, especially since the shipping companies are mostly foreign flag vessels,” he said in a statement issued on October 1.

Harold Daggett’s Ties to Joe Biden

During the 2020 presidential election, the ILA endorsed Biden’s campaign for the White House.

“Joe Biden’s friendship and support of the ILA goes back decades from his time as a U.S. cenator from Delaware,” Daggett said at the time. He added that the Democrat was “the best candidate in 2020 to defeat Donald Trump and return honor, dignity and prosperity to the United States of America.”

Since the strike began, Biden has expressed his support for dock workers taking part in industrial action.

“Foreign ocean carriers have made record profits since the pandemic, when Longshoremen put themselves at risk to keep ports open. It’s time those ocean carriers offered a strong and fair contract that reflects ILA workers’ contribution to our economy and to their record profits,” Biden said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The president had confirmed the federal government would not be taking action to prevent the walkout. A strike could be mitigated for a stretch by Biden invoking the Taft-Hartley Act. This permits the government to intervene in labor disputes that could threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period. This would force workers back on the job as negotiations continue.

“We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now,” a Biden administration official told Reuters. “We encourage all parties to remain at the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris are closely monitoring the strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports,” the White House said in an October 1 statement seen by Newsweek. “Senior White House and Administration officials continue to work around the clock to get both sides to continue negotiating toward a resolution. The President and Vice President believe collective bargaining is the best way for both American workers and employers to come to a fair agreement.”