Posted on 08/01/2004 2:53:58 PM PDT by Euro-American Scum
LOS ANGELES - It's not the California Lottery, but in the coming weeks thousands of people are expected to try for a chance at landing a high-paying job as a dockworker as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach look for help handling a crush of cargo.
At a time when manufacturing jobs are being shipped overseas, employment on the docks in the nation's largest port complex has become highly prized by people hungry for six-figure pay and health benefits for blue-collar work.
"The other good jobs have all been exported, they've all been outsourced," said Dave Arian, president of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 13. "But they can't move the waterfront. They can't outsource the port."
Organizers figure more than 20,000 people will apply, but only 3,000 will make it on the roster of casual workers hired on a daily basis as needed. Those who manage to get on the roll can accumulate work hours and eventually become fully registered longshoremen, potentially earning more than $100,000 a year.
Starting hourly pay for casual hires is $20.66 an hour while longshore workers at the top of the pay scale make $28.68 an hour. Add in overtime and shift differentials and earnings can grow significantly.
In 2003, fully registered longshoremen earned an annual average of $89,484, according to the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping companies. Registered longshoremen also receive free health benefits, pension and employer-sponsored 401k plans.
By comparison, the mean hourly wage paid to workers in white-collar occupations was $21.09 in 2002, the most recent data compiled by the Labor Department (news - web sites). Workers in blue-collar jobs earned a mean hourly wage of $14.51 for the same year.
"Twenty-five years ago it was far easier for somebody without a college degree to have a job you could support a family on that provided some security and good benefits," said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. "Longshore is a well-paying job. There's not a lot of jobs like that."
Some jobs in auto manufacturing or those available in the heyday of the U.S. steel industry also paid well. But many of those positions have been lost as companies cut labor costs by moving operations overseas. The manufacturing sector lost jobs for 43 consecutive months before stabilizing in March.
People without a college degree, who last year made up an estimated 71 percent of U.S. workers, have seen their wages stagnate or fall, Mishel said.
"A big part of the erosion is the fact that blue-collar workers are far less likely now to be unionized," he said.
Longshore jobs pay well because the union has fought over the years for good benefits for its 10,500 members, Arian said.
The ILWU's current contract was forged in 2002 during a bitter labor dispute with shipping companies. Longshoremen were locked out by employers who accused them of conducting a work slowdown. The 10-day shutdown stranded nearly 200 vessels outside West Coast ports, costing the U.S. economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day.
The union and PMA finally agreed on the current process for recruiting more workers. Last week, both sides decided to promote 1,000 existing casual workers a step closer to full longshore status and agreed to add the 3,000 casual hires.
Eventually, two drawings will be held to select 3,000 applicants.
Arian cautioned job hopefuls: "You may make a lot of money, but you may find yourself two, three months without anything."
/sarcasm
Longshoreman bump!
Bet ya Al Quada is eyeing those jobs too !
"...people hungry for six-figure pay..."
So, if two gay longshoremen got "married" and earned $200,000.00 per year, John Kerry would say they were rich.
My apologies to all straight longshoremen, all women longshoremen, and all non-rich well paid Americans.
Hey Mr Union President - if you cared about outsourcing of jobs so much, you and your union guys should all quit your jobs in solidarity with everyone who's lost a job because of rising imports.
Oh, not going to go that far, are we?
You forgot the fringe benefit of being able to steal whole cargo containers and resell the merchandise therein.
I only hope that they do THOUROUGH security and background checks. Al Queda would LOVE to get some operatives into that port.
Does Cosco run the ports (as once rumored?) If so, look for an influx of Chinese laborers being in the first shipments of containers. Hell, they can come ashore in the containers and never go out the gate and once the 'leaders' are through with them, just box em up and ship them back.
Wow! Ain't it great?
Kind of like all the jobs R Byrd had relocated in WestbyGod Virginny.
Just how many of the 'little people' got to partake in the good, high pay jobs?...all those poor fools got or get is higher water and sewer bills, higher taxes to handle the new employees and oh yes, higher cost of living for them as the NEW prices naturally will reflect the 'dumb flatlanders' making all the GOOD Guvmint money....
Then, right behind all that comes the criminal element to try and relieve the new found bucks, the gated communities etc etc etc ah, some things never change...
The longshoremen union rasies the price of all goods sent through the ports.
Should a worker pulling levers get paid 6 figures? If so, the McDonalds fry cook should, too.
Unions suck the life out of our country.
Moving 20-ton shipping containers around without damaging the ship, crane or merchandise and not killing someone is hardly comparable to flipping burgers.
"You may make a lot of money, but you may find yourself two, three months without anything."
Live simply, drive a basic car, get an education, and take a month-long vacation every year.
I'm game.
These jobs, like msot jobs in Hollywood show business, will go to family members, very close friends and those who the union thugs have designated (generally, in return for a very fat fee - slary is good, but the theft opportunities are fantastic).
"Moving 20-ton shipping containers around without damaging the ship, crane or merchandise and not killing someone is hardly comparable to flipping burgers."
BUMP!!
.
I was going to say: if you don't tax imports, someone else will. Not sure if that actually makes any sense, but it is ironic that the guardians of free trade make this kind of money for manual labor. Actually, the irony here is deep and multifaceted. Couple this with the near ban on drug imports and everyone should be able to see the scam that is free trade.
It's pretty close.
Pull a few levers, sober or not, and get 6 figure salaries. But Longshoremen get doctor's wages for not pulling the wrong lever.
Fry cooks.
Without the union, they would be making less than half that.
And the rest of America would pay less.
Unions are a tax.
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