International Longshoremen's Association
Professional services
UnclaimedA North American labor union representing dockworkers and other maritime cargo-handling employees.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a labor union representing workers who load, unload, move, and service cargo at ports and related maritime facilities. Its jurisdiction covers major parts of the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, Canada, and inland waterways. The union is organized through roughly 200 local affiliates in port cities and transportation centers. On the United States West Coast, western Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii, the principal comparable organization is the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The ILA traces its institutional lineage to the Association of Lumber Handlers, founded on the Great Lakes in 1877. That organization became the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States in 1892, joined the American Federation of Labor in 1895, and adopted the International Longshoremen's Association name after expanding membership to Canadian workers. Daniel Keefe, an Irish-American tugboat worker, was a central early organizer and helped extend the union beyond the Great Lakes. By 1905, the organization claimed approximately 100,000 members across several American coasts and the Great Lakes, although its strength varied substantially from port to port. The union also absorbed earlier organizations. The Longshoremen's Union Protective Association, founded in New York in 1864, was incorporated into the ILA in 1914. That merger strengthened the union's position in New York Harbor and led to the creation of a New York District Council. The organization subsequently pursued coastwide bargaining and attempted to limit the ability of employers to shift freight to alternate ports during strikes. Its development was shaped by ethnic and racial divisions within the waterfront workforce, employer opposition, competing unions, and recurring conflict between international officers and powerful local leaders. During the Great Depression, casual employment, low wages, and an oversupply of labor weakened dockworkers' bargaining power. The Norris–LaGuardia Act and the Wagner Act gave unions stronger legal protection against injunctions and retaliation, allowing the ILA to rebuild. Membership expanded sharply in several districts. The revival was accompanied by disputes over leadership authority and political direction. The most consequential rupture occurred after the 1934 West Coast longshore strike, when Harry Bridges and allied activists gained control of Pacific Coast locals. Bridges was later dismissed by ILA president Joseph P. Ryan, and most West Coast locals departed to form the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. World War II increased cargo demand and created steadier employment for many remaining dockworkers, but wartime production also encouraged the relaxation of work rules and increased the physical burden and danger of cargo handling. Returning veterans and rank-and-file workers staged wildcat strikes in 1945, 1947, 1948, and 1951, challenging both employers and union leadership. Subsequent decades brought containerization, port relocation, automation, and changes in the organization of maritime labor. The ILA has continued to represent port workers through collective bargaining, grievance procedures, benefit programs, jurisdictional negotiations, and strikes or threatened strikes over wages, staffing, technology, and work rules. The union's history has also been marked by extensive allegations and investigations involving organized crime and corruption in portions of the New York waterfront. Federal prosecutions, racketeering litigation, consent decrees, and oversight efforts affected particular locals and officers rather than eliminating the union itself. The ILA remains an active labor organization serving workers in major Atlantic, Gulf, Great Lakes, Caribbean, and Canadian port systems.
History
The ILA's history begins with the growth of organized dock labor on the Great Lakes and in Atlantic ports. The Association of Lumber Handlers was established on the Great Lakes in 1877 and became the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States in 1892. It joined the American Federation of Labor in 1895. After Canadian workers were admitted, the organization adopted the International Longshoremen's Association name. Daniel Keefe, a tugboat worker, was an important early leader. The union sought to replace fragmented hiring arrangements and independent stevedoring practices with negotiated rules, wage standards, and greater employment security. New York became increasingly important during the early twentieth century. The Longshoremen's Union Protective Association, founded in New York in 1864, was absorbed in 1914. The merger created a New York District Council and helped the ILA organize coastwise longshoremen. This was strategically important because employers could otherwise divert cargo from a striking port to another Atlantic port. The union faced repeated opposition from shipping companies, anti-union employers, competing organizations, and divisions among workers recruited through ethnic and racial hiring networks. New York locals included Irish, Italian, Greek, German, and African-American workers, often in separate or highly unequal employment structures. The ILA endured major internal conflict during and after World War I. A 1919 New York–New Jersey Harbor strike followed dissatisfaction with a small arbitration-awarded wage increase. The dispute exposed tensions between international officers, local leaders, and radical maritime activists. The ILA also competed with the Industrial Workers of the World, particularly on the West Coast and in Philadelphia. Employer lockouts and open-shop campaigns weakened union organization in several regions during the 1920s. The Great Depression made waterfront employment even more casual and insecure. Employers used the large pool of unemployed workers to depress wages and maintain company-influenced labor arrangements. Federal labor legislation changed the organizing environment: the Norris–LaGuardia Act restricted anti-strike injunctions, while the Wagner Act protected collective organizing and concerted action. Under Joseph P. Ryan, the ILA rebuilt many districts and expanded membership rapidly. The rebuilding process produced a decisive West Coast conflict. Harry Bridges and the Albion Hall group developed strong rank-and-file support during the 1934 West Coast longshore strike. They opposed aspects of Ryan's leadership and ultimately displaced Ryan-aligned officers across Pacific Coast locals. Ryan dismissed Bridges in 1936 after a dispute over Bridges's support for another maritime union. Most West Coast locals then left the ILA and formed the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which later affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations. During World War II, the ILA supported expanded cargo movement, but wartime rules made some work more demanding and hazardous. With many workers entering military service or defense employment, those remaining on the docks often received steadier work. Returning veterans and other rank-and-file workers nevertheless led wildcat strikes in 1945, 1947, 1948, and 1951. These actions reflected dissatisfaction with negotiated contracts, working conditions, and the distance between international leadership and local membership. From the postwar period onward, containerization and port relocation transformed longshore work. Cargo handling moved from older urban waterfronts toward larger terminals, and mechanization changed staffing patterns and required new skills. The ILA continued to operate through local affiliates and collective bargaining relationships with shipping companies, terminal operators, and stevedoring employers. A parallel history concerns corruption and organized-crime influence in parts of the New York waterfront. Figures associated with criminal organizations held influence in certain locals and in waterfront employment networks. Federal investigations, racketeering prosecutions, civil litigation, consent decrees, and restrictions on participation in union affairs followed. These episodes damaged the union's reputation and led to intervention in particular locals, while the broader organization continued representing dockworkers in its geographic jurisdictions.
- 2003
Racketeering conviction involving ILA locals
[1]Anthony Ciccone was convicted over illegal control of ILA locals and related racketeering offenses.
- 1945
Postwar New York wildcat strike
[1]Returning veterans and other workers participated in a citywide wildcat strike against the negotiated contract.
- 1937
Pacific Coast locals form the ILWU
[1]Most West Coast ILA locals separated and became the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
- 1934
West Coast longshore strike
[1]A major strike shifted power toward Harry Bridges and rank-and-file activists on the Pacific Coast.
- 1914
LUPA absorbed into the ILA
[1]The New York Longshoremen's Union Protective Association joined the ILA, strengthening the union in New York Harbor.
- 1905
Membership reached approximately 100,000
[1]The union reported substantial expansion across the Great Lakes, East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf Coast.
- 1895
Joined the American Federation of Labor
[1]The organization affiliated with the AFL, linking it to the wider American labor movement.
- 1892
Renamed National Longshoremen's Association of the United States
[1]The Great Lakes organization adopted a national name as it expanded its ambitions and membership.
- 1877
Association of Lumber Handlers founded
[1]A Great Lakes longshore organization was established, forming the institutional predecessor from which the modern ILA developed.
Products and positioning
A sector-focused maritime labor union whose value is based on collective bargaining power, port-wide representation, workplace protections, and member benefits.
Labor representation
Collective bargaining representation
The ILA negotiates employment terms for longshore and port workers, including wages, staffing, work rules, hours, safety provisions, and dispute-resolution procedures. Agreements are generally negotiated with terminal operators, stevedoring companies, shipping interests, and other maritime employers within the union's jurisdiction.
Union benefits
Member benefit programs
The union and affiliated entities support benefit arrangements associated with health, welfare, pensions, and related member services. Specific plans and eligibility rules vary by local and collective bargaining agreement.
Controversies
2003
Anthony Ciccone racketeering conviction
Anthony Ciccone was convicted of violating a federal consent decree by exerting illegal control over ILA locals, together with related racketeering charges.
1979
Anthony Scotto waterfront corruption conviction
Prominent ILA official Anthony Scotto was convicted in a case involving alleged bribes from waterfront employers and racketeering-related conduct.
1950
Organized-crime influence in New York waterfront locals
Federal investigations and later prosecutions examined alleged organized-crime influence, corruption, and control over portions of the ILA and the New York waterfront.
Marketing campaigns
- 1934West Coast longshore strike
United States West Coast
Rank-and-file activists led by Harry Bridges challenged the ILA's established leadership during a major West Coast strike, producing a lasting shift in control of Pacific Coast locals.
Outcome. The conflict contributed to the departure of most West Coast locals and the creation of the ILWU.
Brand decisions
1937
West Coast locals separate from the ILAStrategyBackground
Conflict between international leadership and Pacific Coast activists followed the 1934 strike and disputes over political and organizational control.
Action taken
Most West Coast locals left the ILA and organized as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
Aftermath
The ILA lost its dominant role on the West Coast, while the ILWU became the principal union for longshore workers in that region.
- International Longshore and Warehouse Union — The ILWU emerged from the departing West Coast locals and became the dominant West Coast longshore union.
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