Daniel Keefe
Encyclopedia
Daniel Joseph Keefe was a founder and the first president of the International Longshoremen's Association
(ILA), a trade union
representing waterside workers in Canada and the United States of America.
the son of a teamster (wagon driver)
of Irish ancestry, Daniel Keefe left school in the fourth grade and began working on the Chicago waterfront. At the age of 25, in 1877, Keefe organized fellow workers into the Association of Lumber Handlers (ALH) and in 1882 was elected leader of the organisation. While successful in expanding membership of the organization, from the start Keefe was considered conservative within the labour movement, focusing on winning wage rises and keeping the ALH away from broader trade union struggles of the time, notably the Eight-Hour Day movement during the 1880s.
formed a single organisation named the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States and elected Daniel Keefe president. By 1895 following recruitment of workers in Canada, the organisation was renamed the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and Keefe affiliated the union to the American Federation of Labor
(AFL). Under Keefe's leadership the union grew from 50,000 members in 1900 to 100,000 members by 1905, including expanding membership outside the Great Lakes region across the United States.
ism but in the context of waterside workers coming under attack from employers elsewhere, especially New York City, Keefe's approach was accepted by others. Yet, it is acknowledged that Keefe was a conservative trade union leader who maintained strict control over the union and refused to endorse the Democratic Party
in United States national politics. This eventually led to him coming into conflict with other elements of the ILA and following his endorsement of Republican William Taft in the 1908 Presidential Election
, rather than face an inevitable loss of position, he resigned following Taft's victory and accepted the position of Commissioner-General of Immigration in the new administration.
handling labour disputes.
Daniel Keefe died on 2 January 1929 in Elmhurst, Illinois
.
International Longshoremen's Association
The International Longshoremen's Association is a labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways...
(ILA), a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing waterside workers in Canada and the United States of America.
Early life
Born in Willow Springs, IllinoisWillow Springs, Illinois
Willow Springs is a village in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,027 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willow Springs is located at ....
the son of a teamster (wagon driver)
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
of Irish ancestry, Daniel Keefe left school in the fourth grade and began working on the Chicago waterfront. At the age of 25, in 1877, Keefe organized fellow workers into the Association of Lumber Handlers (ALH) and in 1882 was elected leader of the organisation. While successful in expanding membership of the organization, from the start Keefe was considered conservative within the labour movement, focusing on winning wage rises and keeping the ALH away from broader trade union struggles of the time, notably the Eight-Hour Day movement during the 1880s.
Emergence, growth and leadership of the International Longshoremen's Association
In 1892 at a convention in Detroit, 11 local unions representing waterside workers from the Great Lakes regionGreat Lakes region (North America)
The Great Lakes region of North America, occasionally known as the Third Coast or the Fresh Coast , includes the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as the Canadian province of Ontario...
formed a single organisation named the National Longshoremen's Association of the United States and elected Daniel Keefe president. By 1895 following recruitment of workers in Canada, the organisation was renamed the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and Keefe affiliated the union to the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL). Under Keefe's leadership the union grew from 50,000 members in 1900 to 100,000 members by 1905, including expanding membership outside the Great Lakes region across the United States.
Leadership style, break from the AFL and departure from ILA
According to de la Pedraja: "[Keefe] was a shrewd negotiator with employers...and was able to obtain modest concessions for the Longshoremen." Because of the modest nature of these gains, some unions viewed the actions of Keefe as company unionCompany union
A company union is a trade union which is located within and run by a company or by the national government, and is not affiliated with an independent trade union. Company unions were outlawed in the United States by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, due to their use as agents for interference...
ism but in the context of waterside workers coming under attack from employers elsewhere, especially New York City, Keefe's approach was accepted by others. Yet, it is acknowledged that Keefe was a conservative trade union leader who maintained strict control over the union and refused to endorse the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in United States national politics. This eventually led to him coming into conflict with other elements of the ILA and following his endorsement of Republican William Taft in the 1908 Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 1908
The United States presidential election of 1908 was held on November 3, 1908. Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring a promise not to seek a third term, persuaded the Republican Party to nominate William Howard Taft, his close friend and Secretary of War, to become his successor...
, rather than face an inevitable loss of position, he resigned following Taft's victory and accepted the position of Commissioner-General of Immigration in the new administration.
Later career in public administration
Daniel Keefe was part of a succession of trade union leaders who took the position of Commissioner General of Immigration. Stanford Lyman argues Keefe fitted the role, like his predecessors, because of nativist views and a willingness to use the post to enforce exclusion of migrant workers, especially Chinese workers. Keefe resigned from the position on 31 May 1913 and took a position in the Department of Labor for the rest of the decade. From 1921 to 1925 Keefe worked at the United States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet CorporationUnited States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet Corporation
The Emergency Fleet Corporation was established by the United States Shipping Board, sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board,http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N. Hurley, Wartime Chairman of the U. S. Shipping Board 16 April 1917 pursuant to...
handling labour disputes.
Daniel Keefe died on 2 January 1929 in Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.-History:...
.