Future of Work: Ports, Technology, and California’s Workforce

This HAIC Workforce Luncheon will bring together ILWU local leaders and academic experts to explore how port jobs are evolving. Through a moderated conversation, speakers will discuss training and career pathways for current and future workers, strategies for maintaining safety and resilience, and opportunities for employers, educators and public agencies to collaborate on a technology‑ready port workforce.

Featured Speakers

Daniel G. “Danny” Miranda Sr.

President, ILWU Local 94

Daniel “Danny” Miranda Sr. leads ILWU Local 94, representing the foremen and walking bosses who supervise cargo operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. A long‑time waterfront worker, he helps coordinate dispatch, safety and training for front‑line supervisors and offers a supervisor’s perspective on how new terminal technologies affect day‑to‑day operations and workforce skills.

Joe Gasperov

President, ILWU Local 63

Joe Gasperov serves as president of ILWU Local 63, the Marine Clerks Association that plans and documents container movements for the San Pedro Bay complex. A second‑generation waterfront worker, he has experience as both a marine clerk and foreman and focuses on training and upskilling for “jobs of the future” as digitalisation reshapes cargo planning and documentation.

Gary Herrera

President, ILWU Local 13 – Longshore Workers

Gary Herrera is president of ILWU Local 13, representing longshore workers who load and unload ships and handle cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. On the waterfront since 1998, he highlights the vital role longshore workers play in national commerce and port safety, drawing on experience leading the workforce through the COVID‑19 pandemic and other operational challenges.

Tyler D. Reeb, Ph.D.

Director of Research and Workforce Development, CSULB Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT)

Tyler D. Reeb, Ph.D. leads research and workforce development at the Center for International Trade and Transportation at California State University, Long Beach. His work focuses on how transformational technologies and institutional change affect transportation, and he develops research‑driven publications, programs and career pathways that connect students and working adults to opportunities in the goods‑movement sector. Dr. Reeb is the author of Empowering the New Mobility Workforce and has helped launch award‑winning education initiatives such as the “Transportation in GIS” course developed with Los Angeles Trade Technical College and industry partners.