The roots of the International Longshoremen's Association date to colonial America when the arrival of ships bearing goods from Europe was greeted with cries for "Men ‘long shore!" At first, the "longshoremen" who came to the ships were normally engaged in any number of full-time occupations, but left their work freely to unload the anxiously awaited and sometimes desperately needed supplies without compensation. As America began to develop a fledgling economy, and the ships increased, longshore work became a full-time occupation.

As the nation matured, many new immigrants congregated in the cities, hoping to find work, especially along the coast, where the bulk of business was still being done. The number of professional longshoremen grew by thousands.

By the early 19th century, the longshoreman of the day eked out a meager existence along the North Atlantic coast. Their working conditions were wretched and their wages pitiful. Many were new to the country and unfamiliar with the customs and language. Exploitation was the order of the day.

Thus, by mid-century, the longshoremen had begun to organize. In 1864, the first modern longshoremen's union was formed in the port of New York it was called the Longshoremen's Union Protective Association (LUPA).

While longshoremen in the United States had organized and conducted strikes before there was a United States, the ILA traces its origins to a union of longshoremen on the Great Lakes, the Association of Lumber Handlers founded in 1877, then renamed the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States in 1892. It joined the American Federation of Labor in 1895 and renamed itself the International Longshoremen's Association several years later when it admitted Canadian longshoremen to membership.

International Longshoremen's Association. (2010, January 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:03, March 6, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Longshoremen%27s_Association&oldid=337104205