October 23rd, 2025 – Maritime labor organizations from the United States and Europe are set to convene in Lisbon, Portugal, this November for a global conference opposing the growing automation of port operations—a change many dockworkers believe is threatening their livelihoods.
The People Over Profit: Anti-Automation Conference taking place November 5th–6th, will unite members of the U.S.-based International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the International Dockworkers Council of Barcelona. The event aims to strengthen international solidarity among unions as they confront what they see as an existential threat: the rapid deployment of automated container-handling technology across global ports.
ILA President Harold J. Daggett, representing more than 85,000 longshoremen on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, has been vocal about the issue. He emphasized that maritime unions worldwide must act collectively to halt what he views as a destructive trend by ocean carriers, which are replacing human workers with machines and eroding the foundation of labor unions. Daggett has warned that automation risks not only eliminating good-paying jobs but also destabilizing communities that depend on port work.
Earlier this year, the ILA reached a six-year contract with ocean carriers that includes key job protections tied to any future introduction of automated equipment at ports. The agreement followed months of tense negotiations and a three-day strike in October 2024 that highlighted the deep divisions over automation.
According to Daggett, the Lisbon summit will send a unified global message: unchecked automation threatens both workers’ livelihoods and the broader economic and safety stability of the maritime industry. He also referenced a recent decision by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have banned public funding for port automation projects—an action Daggett cited as evidence of the political and corporate pressures unions face.
The upcoming conference is expected to conclude with a formal action plan aimed at organizing a coordinated international response to automation in maritime operations. Union leaders hope the gathering will serve as a rallying point for workers worldwide, reinforcing their demand that technological progress must not come at the cost of human employment and dignity.
