Union leader Harold Daggett has complained of death threats and harassment as the strike that has closed ports from Maine to Texas is also putting his life and wealth under scrutiny.
The International Longshoremen’s Association said its president is “sickened” by what the dockworkers union described as attempts to attack his professional accomplishments and to “destroy the life” he has built through decades of hard work.
The union took particular aim at a New York Post article that revealed the address of his home and 10-acre property in Sparta, New Jersey, and showed images of his outdoor swimming pool, a Bentley, a five-car garage and even an outdoor pizza oven.
“Harold J Daggett understands how tough it is to negotiate a master contract for his ILA rank-and-file members working at ports from Maine to Texas,” the union said in a statement.
The labour group said the former dockworker-turned-union leader understands the struggles of working on the waterfront.
“But 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,” the ILA said.
An array of details of Daggett’s life have come out in the media since the port strikes began to make headlines. They include the fact that he was acquitted of all charges after federal prosecutors once accused him of being a mafia associate. Multiple news outlets reported his 2023 salary of $728,000 per year, plus $173,000 from a union local.
Billionaire Elon Musk even tweeted: “Dude had more yachts than me!”
The ILA noted that the New York Post even published his address.
Michael Critchley, Daggett’s lawyer, wrote to the New York Post to complain.
“The publication of pictures of Mr Daggett’s home is reckless and places Mr Daggett and his family at great risk of personal harm,” Critchley wrote to the newspaper. “M. Daggett has already received several threats to his life. The NY Post must immediately remove these pictures from all versions of the article and refrain from any further publications of pictures of Mr. Daggett’s home.”
A spokesperson for the New York Post could not be immediately reached for comment.
