Sunday, August 01, 2004
Yahoo! News - Thousands Eye New Calif. Port Jobs: "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. "
'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. "
