It starts with a love of the docks: "There's always life on the docks
-- things are never dull. It's a great place to work, out in the open,"
says Manny Garcia. It seems like a strange philosophy to have about such a
physically demanding job.
"As a dockworker, I have a lot of freedom, both on the job and financially.
I owe that to the union."
Garcia earned about $130,000 one year hoisting cargo. "It's a joy
to have the freedom to do this work."
"Growing up in the harbor area, that was one of the main jobs. In junior
high and high school, most of my friends' fathers were in longshore.
They always said it was hard work, but that it was a union that would take
care of you when you get older."
On a typical day, hundreds of men and women cram into the hall to check
their prospects. Four dispatchers in a microphone booth call individual workers
from the crowd in a "low man out" system that allows those with the fewest
hours on the job that week to get the first assignments. Still, savvy longshoremen
often try to land much-prized "shorties" -- assignments of five hours or less
that bring a full day's pay.
Another dock-lover is Bill Hill. The former school principal picks up extra
income working the docks as a casual longshoreman. A casual worker helps out
at the port when there's too much work to be handled by the 60 members
of the local union. Hill makes $182 for a 10-hour day, which is the lowest
pay a union member can earn, but the maximum a casual can make. It is a physically
demanding job for the 72-year-old, and far removed from his academic past.
Hill is the second-oldest casual at the port. "When I got on there was
some suspicion that I was a person from the Fair Employment Commission! The
mentality down here is a lot like the army. Do as you're told and don't
ask questions."
But Hill loves the physical labor and the port. Over the years, he figures
he's put in over 4,000 hours as a cargo handler. "It's kind of an
adventure. You have to be a little bit adventuresome to do the longshore thing."
For others, working on the docks is only the first step in what they hope
will be a lifelong career. "I really like to work outside and wanted a career
that would let me do that," says Lori Acalin. "The work is physically challenging,
and it's worth it since I'm using this experience as a stepping-stone
to move up."
Acalin is constantly on the move as she transports freight across the dock
to and from trailers -- enabling the cargo to move out quickly. She uses a
variety of equipment to help her load and unload, including forklifts, pallet
jacks, barrel trucks, four-wheel carts and jib-cranes.
In addition to loading and unloading freight, Acalin is responsible for
a ton of paperwork that documents cargo unloaded and loaded, origin and destination,
damage, and piece-count discrepancies.
"It's an excellent way to pay your dues and learn about the industry,"
says longshore worker Steve Ironside.
"You can advance into another job, such as supervisor, or even, someday,
port superintendent. I'm getting my training and being paid
for it all at the same time. From my perspective, it's a great opportunity."