The International Longshoremen’s Association – United States Maritime Alliance (ILA-USMX) Children’s Fund will host a gala dinner on May 12, 2026, in North Bergen, New Jersey, to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event will honor International President Harold J. Daggett and serve as the primary fundraising initiative for the joint labor-management charitable organization.
The gala reflects the maritime industry’s longstanding commitment to community welfare and pediatric research. The ILA-USMX partnership, which brings together union longshoremen and shipping companies, has positioned charitable giving as a cornerstone of port labor relations. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which provides treatment to children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases regardless of family ability to pay, has emerged as a flagship cause for the waterfront workforce. Such philanthropic endeavors underscore how maritime labor organizations extend their influence beyond contract negotiations and workplace conditions into broader social responsibility initiatives.
The recognition of President Daggett during the fundraising event highlights his leadership tenure and the ILA’s emphasis on worker-driven charitable engagement. For maritime professionals and port stakeholders, these annual charitable activities demonstrate the industry’s integration into local communities and its commitment to causes that resonate with union membership. The event serves as a networking opportunity for labor representatives, port operators, and shipping industry executives united around a humanitarian objective, reinforcing collaborative relationships that extend beyond collective bargaining frameworks.