ILA President Harold J. Daggett Announces Endorsement of Joe Biden For President; Urges ILA Members In Florida, Ohio and Illinois to Vote In Tuesday’s Primaries

NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (March 15, 2020) – The President of the International Longshoremen’s Association, Harold J. Daggett, announced today his union is endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States. The ILA leader is urging his membership in Florida, Ohio and Illinois to support Vice President in Tuesday’s (March 17th) Democratic Presidential Primaries.

“Joe Biden’s friendship and support of the ILA goes back decades from his time as a U.S. Senator from Delaware,” said ILA President Daggett. “He was close friends with ILA leaders Skinny Wilson and Alex Talmadge and is the best candidate in 2020 to defeat Donald Trump and return honor, dignity and prosperity to the United States of America.”

The ILA leader said his Executive Council have considered all the Presidential candidates and agreed that Vice President Biden represented the best choice for ILA members and their families.

The ILA cites Joe Biden’s strong and unwavering support of America’s unions are a chief reason to support his campaign.

“Strong unions built the great American middle class,” said Mr. Biden. “Everything that defines what it means to live a good life and know you can take care of your family – the 40-hour work week, paid leave, health care protections, a voice in your workplace – is because of workers who organized unions and fought for worker protections. Because of organizing and collective bargaining, there used to be a basic bargain between workers and their employers in this country that when you work hard, you share in the prosperity your work created.”

ILA President Daggett has met with Vice President Biden and knows first-hand, his long history of support of the ILA.

“Joe Biden is a true friend of the ILA and working men and women across America,” said President Daggett. “Joe Biden credits his early success in politics to the support of unions in general and the ILA in particular.

“He had a very good relationship with many ILA officers from the Ports of Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” added President Daggett.

The ILA noted that Joe Biden’s campaign is built on a promise to check the abuse of corporate power over labor and hold corporate executives personally accountable for violations of labor laws; Encourage and incentivize unionization and collective bargaining; and ensure that workers are treated with dignity and receive the pay, benefits, and workplace protections they deserve.

“Donald Trump has filled the courts with anti-union and right-wing conservative judges who look to further weaken labor laws protecting workers,” said the ILA leader. “He supports National Right to Work legislation and will continue to weaken the voice and power of America’s working class. We must elect Joe Biden as President.”

ILA members registered to vote in their respective States will have to opportunity to support Joe Biden. On Tuesday, March 17th, Democratic Primaries will be held in Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Arizona.

Puerto Rico holds its Democratic Presidential Primary on March 29th.

In April, States holding Democratic primaries with large ILA membership include Wisconsin on April 7th; New York; Maryland, Pennsylvania; Connecticut, Delaware; and Rhode Island on April 28th.

In May and June, ILA members can vote in Democratic Presidential primaries in Indiana (May 5th); Georgia (May 19th) New Jersey and District of Columbia (June 2nd) and Louisiana (June 20th).