ILA President Lauds Trump’s Iran Strike in Unprecedented Union Endorsement of Military Action

International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) President Harold J. Daggett has issued a remarkable letter of support to President Trump, praising the recent bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities as a “bold and courageous decision.”

In the strongly-worded letter dated June 23rd, Daggett declared on behalf of the union’s 85,000 members: “How proud we are as Americans to be led by you as our bold and fearless Commander in Chief and we cheered the news this weekend that the ‘strikes were a spectacular military success!'”

Trump shared the letter in a post on Truth Social.

The ILA, which describes itself as the “I Love America” longshore union, pledged “100 percent” support for the military action against Iran while defending Israel, which Daggett called “one of our nation’s most faithful and supportive allies.”

Such an enthusiastic endorsement of offensive military action by a major U.S. labor union is highly unusual. Most unions typically focus their public communications on domestic issues like labor rights, wages, and economic justice rather than foreign policy matters.

The letter’s tone stands in contrast to typical union leadership communications, which generally aim for bipartisan appeal to serve politically diverse memberships.

The endorsement comes just months after Trump played a decisive role in helping the ILA secure what Daggett called “the greatest contract in ILA history”– a landmark six-year master contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that delivered a record-setting 62% wage increase and comprehensive protections against automation.

The breakthrough in those negotiations came after a crucial intervention by then President-Elect Trump during a December 2024 meeting at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump reportedly directly contacted USMX officials and later publicly backed the union’s position.

At the time, Daggett credited Trump as “one of the greatest friends of Organized Labor” and stated that “President Trump gets full credit for our successful tentative Master Contract agreement.”

The contract, which received nearly 99% approval from ILA members, ensures labor stability at major U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports through September 2030.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 109,339 members