Sistrunk’s Local 1526 – Longshoreman

Officers of the ILA Local 1526: Anthony Gross, Financial Officer; Johnnie Dixon, President and Vice President, Art Kennedy, Jr.

By Dixie Ann Black

      The International Longshoremen Association (ILA) is a longstanding organization that provides representation for workers on docks throughout America. The Local 1526’s president, Johnnie Dixon, describes the work done through the union as what ‘keeps America running’. He explains that due to the outsourcing of many manufacturing jobs, America has come to rely heavily on freight.

“We bring in medical supplies, auto parts, iPads, tissues, furniture, frozen meats, fruit, produce, you name it. If we stop, the South Florida economy shuts down.”

As for the ILA’s financial impact in the Fort Lauderdale area, he describes it as follows:

“It provides an opportunity for its workers to create an upper middle-class lifestyle that is typically only possible through college. Our jobs make the biggest economic impact in Broward County. We are the strongest labor organization in Broward County, and we happen to be an all-Black organization. ”The Fort Lauderdale branch of the ILA, known as Local 1526, has about six hundred members, roughly four hundred of whom are active workers. The bulk of the work is based on cargo and cruise ships.

There are several women among the workers, most of whom are people of color.

    Johnnie Dixon’s grandfather gave him advice that has prepared him for working with his Local 1526: “If you want to do more for anybody around you, you’ve got to do more for yourself first. Then you can turn around and do more to help other people.”

Dixon is a graduate of Dillard High who headed off to college. But soon, with a baby on the way, the first-year college student found his priorities shifting. Football and college took a backseat as Dixon contemplated how he could do more for himself and his budding family. In his search for viable income, he began working in warehouses and obtained his CDL license. It wasn’t enough. Then one morning he followed his father’s lead and walked into the International Longshoremen’s Association Union Hall on Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

“It was around 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and there were between 350 and 400 people there, seeking work. I didn’t get picked that day or any day for the next two months. My confidence was shaken but my dad kept encouraging me to stick with it.”

After not having his name called, yet again, on another busy morning in the Hiring Hall, Dixon remembers feeling dejected. He was walking toward the door, shoulders drooping when someone called out to him. He had finally been picked. He worked on a cruise ship, loading and unloading luggage and more all day.

“It was back-breaking work, but the camaraderie with the other guys helped the day go by fast.”

Dixon described himself as a “weekend warrior” working part time on the docks for the next ten years. Still there was a greater calling awaiting him.

    Art Kennedy is also a graduate of Dillard High School. He had a football scholarship and a loving family, but the call of the streets pulled him in.

“I knew right from wrong but decided to be a knucklehead.”

By the age of seventeen, Kennedy found himself incarcerated for dealing drugs. He spent the next six years behind bars. “I was determined from Day One that that place wasn’t going to see me again. I loved my freedom, and I knew right from wrong.”

Kennedy kept his word to himself. He listened closely to the wisdom of the older men in prison. He chose a vocation, learning to cook and bake. When he was released from prison, he excelled at his work, taking initiative and leading by example until he became an airport ramp duty manager. His salary was good, but he felt limited in helping the workers he supervised. With three generations of Longshoremen in his family, he heeded the call to join the ILA. Soon he too was a “casual”, part time laborer with the ‘Local 1526’. That was only the beginning of his service.

He was later elected Executive Trustee and now serves as the Vice President of Local 1526.

Anthony Gross’s father is a Longshoreman. Gross started off working on the docks. He operated forklifts, drove trucks, operated equipment, you name it. After two years he committed to full time work with the ILA.

“I just knew it was an opportunity to take care of my family.”

Gross has been with the Local 1526 for over 18 years. He is currently the Financial Officer of the Local.

The International Longshoremen’s Association has been on the front lines of American workers since the 1500’s. It is a labor union focused on the needs of maritime workers. The Local 1526 in Fort Lauderdale was chartered in 1937. Dixon describes its purpose as one of holding employers accountable, representing members to ensure they are making competitive wages and receiving the best benefits possible.

As each of these three men, Johnnie Dixon, Art Kennedy and Anthony Gross found their needs being met through the ILA, they began to “turn around and do more to help other people”.

Dixon, being naturally outspoken, began to advocate for fellow workers. However, he was considerably younger than management and found himself becoming labeled as a troublemaker. A senior manager offered some sage advice that echoed his grandfather’s wisdom: ‘If you want to help, earn seniority before challenging the administration.’ Dixon took it to heart, earned seniority through number of work hours and found himself profiting with medical benefits for his family, credits toward a pension and increased income. He explains,

“Longshoremen on the East Coast make about thirty-five percent more than the average blue-collar worker.”

The increased personal stability was not enough for Dixon. He continued to empathize and advocate for his fellow Longshoremen whom he refers to as his brothers and sisters. Not surprisingly, they in turn put their trust in him and urged him to run for leadership. Soon he was a Convention Delegate, representing them at an International Convention. Then before he knew it, he was Financial Secretary.

“I always listened to the members because I always remembered how I felt.”

However, his advocacy was not welcomed by the older, less empathetic leadership. In-fighting took Dixon to the breaking point. He praises his wife for providing the wisdom that caused him to persevere.

“As long as your opinions are the same as before you got elected, the powers that be will not accept you, because they didn’t accept your opinion before you got elected.” She further added, “The only reason you are in management is because the people see something in you that can bring about change.”

Dixon credits that conversation for grounding him in a more mature approach that led to him becoming the youngest elected president of the ILA Local 1526 on December 8, 2019.

The Local ILA has weathered the storm of COVID, as business returns to normal. All three administrators report a current average of four hundred plus active members, as well as casual laborers working out of their Port Everglades location.

For those interested in finding out if being a Longshoreman is a fit as part time job or future career, Gross explains, A drug test, a physical, a background check are required. A TWIC card (a government ID), as well as a county ID from Broward Sheriff’s Office and a paid application fee will help to pave the way to this opportunity. The work is seasonal, mirroring the cruise ship season of November through April, and there are no guarantees.

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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