Brothers & Sisters,

First off, let me just say HAPPY NEW CONTRACT YEAR! It is that time of year to start fresh and knock those hours out again.

The entire workforce finished the year strong, and I can’t even begin to show my gratitude to the hard-working men and women of this Local.

It is no secret that the Port of Savannah is BUSY, and this month is no different. We are projected to move over 300,000 lifts this month. That is huge! This weekend alone we have people doubling and tripling back just to cover the work. You are all KILLING IT!

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Remember what real solidarity looks like

I’d like to remind everybody that just two short years ago, WE, THE ILA, showed strength in SOLIDARITY from Maine to Texas. We stood shoulder to shoulder in the streets, and it only took 3 days for the carriers to agree to a historic new master contract.

Let’s not forget what we did and what REAL solidarity looks like. We should remember it and practice it every day.

If we stand together, then it is impossible to fail.

Now let’s hop right into this week’s recap. I have a lot of information to get out, so let’s get into it.

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MIS queue-up & dispatch system

Yes, I know: it is new and it is different. Please bear with us, as WE are ALL learning and navigating the new system together. There will be bumps in the road, but again, TOGETHER we will get through it.

Tomorrow, the Business Agent and I will be discussing the possibility of adding more queue-up times so that everybody isn’t queueing up at the same time.

Now that we are in the system and using it full time, we will continue to build it out with MIS to suit the needs of ILA Local 1475 here in the Port of Savannah. Thank you for continuing to be patient and working with us during this change in dispatch.

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Production: back over 29!

I want to keep sharing the numbers with you, because I believe it is important for every member to know where our operation stands.

Over the last three weeks, we have really started pushing production upward. Some of that is tied to the better weather, but a lot of it is you: working right up until the breaks and getting back to work as soon as we return. That makes a huge difference in our production, so let’s keep that practice going.

We have also improved on going back to fix units on the vessel. Redoing work is the biggest production killer on the port. It causes missed sailings and upset customers, and that’s not a good look for any of us. Let’s keep reducing and eliminating those errors.

Week of	Total moves	Gross production	Working production
08/31	62,892	28.58	29.46
09/07	59,846	28.97	29.97
09/14	73,513	29.57	30.59
09/21	71,195	28.93	29.57
4-week total	267,446	29.03	29.91

Great work getting us back over 29 on our 4-week trend! Let’s keep that growth going and push to see that number at 29.5 soon.

Where we stand for the year

Quarter	Total moves	Gross production	Working production
Q1 2026	782,381	28.39	29.47
Q2 2026	804,176	29.20	30.18
Q3 2026	847,945	28.47	29.21
Year to date	2,434,502	28.68	29.61

Q3 was our busiest quarter of the year with nearly 848,000 moves, but production wasn’t completely where we needed it. I believe we can fix that moving forward. Q2 is still our strongest production quarter of the year, and I want us to strive to beat it here in Q4.

If you see something that is holding us back, please don’t hesitate to share it with me or one of the officers. Ideas from the people actually working out there are always the best, and the best place to raise them is the Culture Committee meeting this month.

Your input is making a difference. The company and the GPA are working on a shift in the way we discharge and load out of the field, and most of those changes come from production constraints our members identified in those meetings. They are listening to your ideas and putting them in place as they can.

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Volume: up about 1,000 lifts a day

These numbers should be a positive sign for all of us. Over the last two weeks of the contract year, our daily volume average shot up by about 1,000 lifts. That’s a massive increase. Hopefully those of you who needed hours were able to take advantage of the extra work.

Week of	Average lifts per day
08/24	10,043
08/31	8,664
09/07	9,592
09/14	10,586
09/21	10,206
09/28	8,071
6-week average	9,682

October forecast: 300,000+ lifts

Volume is still showing strong projections. If we get it all in, October will be one of our highest-volume months of the year.

Getting all of this in won’t be easy. We’ll need to focus hard on the little things:

• Making our sailings.
• Limiting errors.
• Working every hour we can so we keep the berth fluid.

Thank you for your continued support in moving the Port of Savannah forward!

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The future isn’t at the front door. It’s knocking!

Let’s switch gears a little bit. The port as a whole keeps growing. In August 2026, Savannah handled 529,523 TEUs, with exports up 4.2% and imports up 1.5% over last year.

Ocean Terminal: 60% complete

I am sure everyone has seen the news that Ocean Terminal is 60% complete. The new berth is live, truck logistics have been upgraded, and the project is on track to be fully delivered by 2028.

When I spoke with the employer this week, the plan is that we could see training start down there as soon as February. This will be a completely different operation, and everyone will be encouraged to train for it.

Savannah Container Terminal

In the same breath, the Savannah Container Terminal, across the river from Ocean Terminal, received its permit to begin construction. The new 450-acre terminal is expected to begin operations in 2030, and the whole terminal will be manned by all three ILA Locals in Savannah.

Read more: Georgia Ports Authority press release and Marine Log coverage

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Facial recognition is in full swing

Facial recognition is now required to get into all facilities inside the GPA. If you haven’t been to Credentialing to activate your facial recognition, please do so. Once your queue number is called, it takes about 90 seconds.

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Members only: two-barrel drawing

On October 14th, starting at 5:30, one hour before the regular monthly membership meeting, Baker Tilly (the third party that handled the new hiring process and new list setup) will hold the two-barrel drawing in real time.

After the drawing, we will begin pulling personnel in groups of 50 to take their proficiency test and physical, and then begin training live in the daily operation.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Health & Wellness Event

As you all know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. ILA Local 1475 and ILA Local 1414 are hosting a Health & Wellness Event, and everyone is invited.

While the event is held in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our goal is to promote total health and wellness for both women and men. We want to connect our members and port community with health information, resources, screenings, education and services that encourage prevention, early detection and healthier lifestyles.

Know a health or wellness organization that should be there? We are inviting vendors to share information, resources, services, screenings and demonstrations with our members. There is no cost to participate, vendor setup runs from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM, and lunch is provided for participating vendor representatives. Have them reach out to the Local.

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Closing thought: how big is your frying pan?

One day when I was a kid, I was fishing for catfish. I wasn’t catching any fish, and the guy next to me was catching all the fish: big fish, little fish, all the fish. I couldn’t help but notice that he was throwing all the big fish back and keeping all the little ones.

I finally asked him, “Why are you throwing all the big fish back?”

His reply: “I only have a 9-inch frying pan at home!”

So I’d ask you today: How big is your frying pan? What’s your capacity? What’s your confidence? What are your self-imposed limitations?

You have them, I have them, we all do. There are some things we think we can’t do, but we can. We might have to change, because if you do things the way you’ve always done them, you’re going to get the same result.

No limitations. Change your mindset, decide to be different, and you will realize you are capable of far more than you ever believed.

We want to be elite at getting better… the teams (Locals) that get better and improve tend to ascend as the year goes on.

UGA Head Coach Kirby Smart

The TOS is now the “brains” behind all port operations, and the clerks are the ones that control it.

International Vice President Dennis Daggett

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

Romans 12:10

In closing, I want to say thank you again for all of your continued support and for covering the work day in and day out.