Port strike leader Harold Daggett has accused the New York Post of orchestrating an “ugly smear campaign” after it published images of his New Jersey home.
A Post article published on October 2 and headlined, “Union boss who threatened to ‘cripple’ economy lives in luxe 7,000-square-foot mansion,” featured aerial images of the union boss’ home in Sparta, showing a Bentley convertible outside the property.
Daggett, the president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, is spearheading ongoing industrial action over pay, in which tens of thousands of East and Gulf Coast port workers walked out on October 1.
The ILA said the Post’s article was part of an “ugly smear campaign,” but would not discourage Daggett “or weaken the ILA’s goal of negotiating the best” pay deal.
“The publication of pictures of Mr. Daggett’s home is reckless and places Mr. Daggett and his family at great risk of personal harm,” Daggett’s attorney Michael Critchley wrote in a letter to the Post’s lawyers. “Mr. Daggett has already received several threats to his life.”
Critchley said the outlet “must immediately remove these pictures from all versions of the article and refrain from any further publications of pictures of Mr. Daggett’s home.”
Newsweek has contacted the New York Post for comment via email outside of regular working hours. At the time of writing, the article is still available online.
Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, speaks as dockworkers at the Maher Terminals in Port Newark, New Jersey, are on strike on October 1, 2024. Daggett has complained about the New York Post publishing pictures of his home.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/GETTY
In its statement, the ILA condemned threats that it said have been received by Daggett and other union leaders since strike action began.
“The ILA leader could not imagine the hate and threats of violence against him and other top ILA leaders as attempts to end the current two-day strike helping his ILA membership navigate the first coastwide work stoppage in almost half a century,” it reads.
The ILA represents more than 85,000 workers and has been in negotiations since earlier this year with companies, terminal operators, and port associations that are represented by the United States Maritime Alliance.
Strike action began after the ILA and USMX failed to reach an agreement on a new master contract before the September 30 deadline. Daggett has led the union since his election in 2011, and previously agreed two master contracts, which are negotiated between the ILA and USMX every six years.
The union has said on Tuesday it has rejected a “so-called nearly 50 percent wage increase” as it “fails to address the demands of our members adequately.”
“They might claim a significant increase, but they conveniently omit that many of our members are operating multi-million-dollar container-handling equipment for a mere $20 an hour,” the statement issued on October 1 reads. “In some states, the minimum wage is already $15. Furthermore, our members endure a grueling six-year wage progression before they can even reach the top wage tier, regardless of how many hours they work or the effort they put in.”
“Our current offer of a nearly 50 percent wage increase exceeds every other recent union settlement, while addressing inflation, and recognizing the ILA’s hard work to keep the global economy running,” a USMX statement reads. “We look forward to hearing from the Union about how we can return to the table and actually bargain, which is the only way to reach a resolution.”
