ILA   17 Battery Place, Suite 930 New York, NY 10004

International Longshoremens Association

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is North America’s largest union of maritime workers, representing more than 65,000 longshoremen along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Eastern Canada, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico and several U.S. rivers. The ILA is also affiliated with the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, the United Marine Division Tugboat Workers and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

In 1877, an Irish tugboat worker named Dan Keefe founded the Association of Lumber Handlers, which would later be known as the International Longshoremen’s Association. Keefe worked tirelessly to expand membership to include a large number of dockworkers, increase wages and improve working conditions. In 1908, Keefe resigned and was replaced by a Great Lakes tugboat worker, T.V. O’Conner. However, Keefe’s leadership style laid the groundwork for this successful maritime union. Today, the ILA still strives to protect the rights of maritime workers in the U.S. and Canada while maintaining the vision of its early leaders.