Workers at the largest US ports who can make over $100,000 are negotiating a contract for the first time in 7 years. Here's the history of one of America's most powerful unions.

Grace KayJun 21, 2022, 19:14 IST

The MSC Isabella at APM Terminals, Port of Los Angeles.Associated Press

The union that represents the largest ports in the US is in the process of negotiating its contract.
The ILWU has said it does not plan to strike, but the supply-chain crisis hangs in the balance.

In June, President Joe Biden visited the Port of Los Angeles while it was in the midst of its first labor negotiation in eight years. His visit highlighted the importance of the workers who keep the supply-chain running.

President Joe Biden walks across the deck of the USS Iowa battleship after speaking about inflation and supply chain issues at the Port of Los Angeles, June 10, in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

In June, President Joe Biden visited the Port of Los Angeles while it was in the midst of its first labor negotiation in eight years. His visit highlighted the importance of the workers who keep the supply-chain running.

Biden is far from the first president to take interest in the port. In 2002, former President George W. Bush threatened to send in US troops after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that represents many of the workers allegedly initiated a slowdown.

President George W. Bush seen here in 2008.President George W. Bush December 14, 2008.

Biden is far from the first president to take interest in the port. In 2002, former President George W. Bush threatened to send in US troops after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that represents many of the workers allegedly initiated a slowdown.

The union and employers have said there are currently no plans for work stoppages or lockouts that could worsen supply-chain backlogs. But, the White House is on standby if negotiations worsen US ports.

Ships wait outside US West Coast ports in April 2021.REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson.

The union and employers have said there are currently no plans for work stoppages or lockouts that could worsen supply-chain backlogs. But, the White House is on standby if negotiations worsen US ports.

The longshoremen are some of the highest paid blue-collar workers in the US.

A worker stands on a crane, overlooking the docks at the Port of Jacksonville, Florida.Jake Wyman

It wasn't always this way. Longshoremen struggled for decades to form a successful union.

Heritage Art/Heritage Images/via Getty Images

Longshoremen on the West Coast attempted to unionize several times between 1902 and 1933, but the local unions were easily divided, according to the ILWU.

Dock stevedore at the Fulton Fish Market moving a barrel of codfish.Heritage Art/Heritage Images/via Getty Images

The Great Depression hit waterfront workers hard.

A crowd of depositors outside the American Union Bank in New York, having failed to withdraw their savings before the bank collapsed, June 30, 1931.FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The union voted to strike on May 1934 across all of the Pacific Coast.

An estimated 1,000 striking longshoremen shout and sing as they parade in along the Embarcadero, San Francisco's waterfront, on May 10, 1934. On May 9, International Labor Association (ILA) leaders called a strike of all dockworkers on the West Coast, seeking higher wages and a shorter working week. The dockworkers were joined a few days later by seamen and teamsters.AP Photo

'Bloody Thursday'

Some cameramen with gas masks filming the dockers strike in Seattle on July 3, 1934.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

A national railroad strike in 1946 showed how the government planned to respond to future waterfront strikes.

Railroad Strike... Between 18th and 19th in Pennsylvania Station on the Long Island Rail Road level there was much pushing and shoving as the mobs made a slowed-down beeline for their trains. There were 10,000 there by 4 pm on May 23, 1946.Bill Klein/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

In 1947, a new labor law threatened the union's hiring hall.

The new San Francisco ILWU hiring hall where on nice days the men spend as much time outside as insideGetty Images

As technology became more advanced, the role of dockworkers started to change.

An aerial view of shipping containers sitting stacked at the Port of Los Angeles at night on April 15, 2022 in San Pedro, California.Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

In 1971, ILWU workers walked out for a strike that lasted 134 days.

Pickets from the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's union sit in front of Pier 39's closed doors on San Francisco's waterfront during the first major longshoremen's strike in nine years, in 1971. Pacific Maritime Association spokesmen said that virtually all operations, excepting military cargo and passenger vessels, were at a standstill along the entire Pacific Coast.AP Photo

Amid labor negotiations in September 2002, management at West Coast ports locked out dockworkers, accusing the union of coordinating work slowdowns at several ports.

President Bush, with first lady Laura Bush, steps down from Air Force One in Salt Lake City, Utah, to participate in the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Friday, Feb. 8, 2002.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The union was again accused of initiating slowdowns when its contract expired in 2014.

In this 2015 photo, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, ILWU members visit an empty dock at the Port of Los Angeles. Employers could lock out West Coast dockworkers in as few as five days if the two sides do not reach a new contract.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

The union has "a lot of leverage" over labor talks, an expert said last week.

Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

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Workers at the largest US ports who can make over $100,000 are negotiating a contract for the first time in 7 years. Here's the history of one of America's most powerful unions.

In June, President Joe Biden visited the Port of Los Angeles while it was in the midst of its first labor negotiation in eight years. His visit highlighted the importance of the workers who keep the supply-chain running.

Biden is far from the first president to take interest in the port. In 2002, former President George W. Bush threatened to send in US troops after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that represents many of the workers allegedly initiated a slowdown.

The union and employers have said there are currently no plans for work stoppages or lockouts that could worsen supply-chain backlogs. But, the White House is on standby if negotiations worsen US ports.

The longshoremen are some of the highest paid blue-collar workers in the US.

It wasn't always this way. Longshoremen struggled for decades to form a successful union.

Longshoremen on the West Coast attempted to unionize several times between 1902 and 1933, but the local unions were easily divided, according to the ILWU.

The Great Depression hit waterfront workers hard.

The union voted to strike on May 1934 across all of the Pacific Coast.

'Bloody Thursday'

A national railroad strike in 1946 showed how the government planned to respond to future waterfront strikes.

In 1947, a new labor law threatened the union's hiring hall.

As technology became more advanced, the role of dockworkers started to change.

In 1971, ILWU workers walked out for a strike that lasted 134 days.

Amid labor negotiations in September 2002, management at West Coast ports locked out dockworkers, accusing the union of coordinating work slowdowns at several ports.

The union was again accused of initiating slowdowns when its contract expired in 2014.

The union has "a lot of leverage" over labor talks, an expert said last week.