Photo of ILA's Harold Daggett with Trump circulates as strike startsNew strain in Calif. Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ 🐍Year of the SnakeU.S. Politics Sports Entertainment Life Money Travel Opinion CrosswordONLY AT USA TODAY:Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines      InvestigationsPodcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist LegalsOUR PORTFOLIO:10Best USAT Wine Club ShoppingBlueprint Southern Kitchen      Home Internet  ELECTIONSLabor EconomyAdd TopicWhy an old photo of Trump, Longshoreman's president returned to prominence with strikeJames Powel Kinsey Crowley Medora LeeUSA TODAYUpdate: US port workers and operators reach a deal to end East Coast strike immediately on Oct. 3. Read more.Images of the President of the International Longshoremen's Association meeting with former President Donald Trump circulated on social media as the union went on strike Tuesday.The images are pulled from a July post on the union's website where union President Harold Daggett asked for members to "pray" for the former president in the wake of the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.In the post Daggett recalled a 2023 meeting with Trump where the former president appeared to express support for the Longshoremen."We had a wonderful, productive 90-minute meeting where I expressed to President Trump the threat of automation to American workers," Daggett said. "President Trump promised to support the ILA in its opposition to automated terminals in the U.S. Mr. Trump also listened to my concerns about Federal 'Right To Work' laws which undermines unions and their ability to represent and fight for its membership."The strike begins the same day as the vice-presidential debate and days after Trump, appearing at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, admitted to avoiding paying overtime.“I know a lot about overtime,” the Republican candidate said Sunday. “I hated to give overtime. I hated it. I’d get other people, I shouldn’t say this, but I’d get other people in. I wouldn’t pay.”Download USA TODAY's app to get to the heart of news Which agencies have been hit by federal layoffs? What to know about NPS, NIH, IRS, more Sheryl Crow waves goodbye to towed Tesla car after slamming 'President Musk': See video Hundreds of FAA employees fired by Trump administration weeks after midair DC collision Photos show President Donald Trump's 2023 mug shot framed outside the Oval OfficeTrump administration fought unions in officeProgress for many workers' rights issues was stagnant leading into 2016, and Trump tapped into that frustration,  Celine McNicholas, policy director at nonpartisan research organization Economic Policy Institute Action, previously told USA TODAY."He was maybe the first Republican in a long time to kind of, like actually give some voice to that outrage," she said. "But I think it stops there."She said he proposed cuts to worker protection agencies, and Economic Policy Institute called moves under his administration to overturn worker protections "unprecedented.""With the incredible flurry of activity that...came from the Trump administration, the chaos, I think, actually served to....obfuscate their actual progress on some of these anti-worker and anti-fair economy policies that they really consistently pushed forward," McNicholas said.Despite the administration's reputation for being anti-union, the national Teamsters union withheld its endorsement from either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, though a slew of swing state locals independently endorsed the Democratic nominee.The ILA has not announced an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race but put their weight behind then candidate Joe Biden in 2020.What does the ILA want?The ILA is looking for a 61.5% pay increase over six years, according to CNBC.It's also concerned about automation. In June, it halted talks with port operator USMX over an automation dispute. In a release then, the ILA said “ILA President (Harold) Daggett made it clear that the union will take a firm stance against any technology that threatens ILA jobs.”On Monday, USMX said in a statement that it had offered to hike wages by nearly 50%, triple employer contributions to employee retirement plans, improve health care options, and keep its current language around automation and semi-automation.”Featured Weekly AdAbout Us Newsroom Staff Ethical Principles Responsible Disclosure Request a Correction Press Releases Accessibility Sitemap Subscription Terms & Conditions Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your Privacy ChoicesContact Us Help Center Manage Account Give Feedback Get Home Delivery eNewspaper USA TODAY Shop USA TODAY Print Editions Licensing & Reprints Advertise With Us Careers Internships Support Local BusinessNews Tips Submitting letters to the editor Podcasts Newsletters Mobile Apps Facebook X Instagram LinkedIn Threads YouTube Reddit Flipboard10Best USAT Wine Club Shopping Best-selling Booklist Southern Kitchen Jobs Sports Betting Sports Weekly Studio Gannett Classifieds Home Internet Blueprint© 2025 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.
Did not these unions listen to trump's conversation with musk?  What do they not understand as to how trump feels about unions and collective bargaining?