Union leader Harold Daggett has consistently positioned himself as a fierce defender of blue-collar workers. As president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), Daggett has been a strong advocate for labour protections and has been vocal about demanding a share of the profits that port companies made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, he has come in the spotlight for leading the International Longshoreman's Association’s strike at ports across the United States.
The ILA launched the strike on Tuesday, following the expiration of the union’s six-year contract with the US Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port employers. “I’ll cripple you. I will cripple you and you have no idea what that means,” Daggett said in an interview, explaining the detrimental effect that the ports strike could have on the US economy.
However, Harold Daggett’s union boss persona is at odds with his own luxurious lifestyle, with critics pointing out that he drives a Bentley and once owned a 76-foot yacht. The news of Daggett’s lavish lifestyle gained wider attention after Tesla boss Elon Musk joked that the union boss owns more yachts than him. It is worth noting that Musk has been openly critical of workers' unions, suggesting that they can slow down progress and increase bureaucracy.
Meet Harold Daggett, the man who ‘owns more yachts’ than Elon Musk Harold Daggett is the 78-year-old president and chief negotiator of the International Longshoremen’s A.