July 17th, 2025 – Longshore unions are organizing a global summit to confront what they see as a critical fight for survival in the face of increasing automation.
Scheduled for November 5th-6th in Lisbon, Portugal, the People Over Profit Anti-Automation Conference will bring together maritime unions, trade groups, and labor leaders from around the world. The U.S.-based International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the Lisbon-headquartered International Dockworkers Council (IDC) are leading the effort behind the event.
The goal of the conference is to unite labor groups to strategize, share experiences, and solidify a collective stance against job-displacing automation. Key organizers include ILA President Harold Daggett, ILA Executive Vice President and IDC General Coordinator Dennis Daggett, IDC International Labor Coordinator Jordi Arugunde, and IDC Secretariat Xavier Bellido.
For the ILA, which represents 24,000 workers, the issue is personal. The union was recently at the center of a heated contract dispute over dockside automation that led to a three-day shutdown of East and Gulf coast ports in October 2024. That standoff ended with a landmark six-year agreement allowing for limited automation while securing strong job protections.
Union leaders stress that this movement is not just about safeguarding jobs—it’s about preserving communities and the long-term well-being of working families. They warn that automation, often packaged as efficiency or safety, is ultimately about reducing labor costs and undermining livelihoods across both blue- and white-collar sectors.
They argue that technology should be a tool that serves workers—not one that replaces them.
With over 100,000 members across 92 organizations in 41 countries, the IDC aims to leverage its global reach to push back against what it sees as a growing crisis for the working class.
