The huge dockworker strike. Here's what these unskilled laborers are demanding.

[whitehall]

The term "trained monkeys " can get you into trouble unless you are talking about mostly white guys. Try hoisting a thousand pound container and placing it on the deck of a cargo ship. Dock workers are hardly as unskilled as the lame unskilled posters who criticize them.

 

[toobfreak]

I retired from a 33 year career in industrial maintenance, manufacture, design. I have been watching the trend for A LONG TIME.

Then you surely understand. Time marches on, things change, technology and business evolve, and sadly, as much as my heart strings go out to these guys, they are fighting a losing battle in trying to keep their industry working at 1950s standards!

What they really ought to be doing is figuring out how best to cope with, adapt to, or deal with the evolving demands of the industry. Like maybe go back to school and learn mechanical design, robotics and computer programming so that they had new, more attractive skills to offer their employers.

This port strike will end badly for all.

 

[BluesLegend]

So they are daring the industry to automate them out of a job, clever.

 

[yidnar]

Operating multi-million-dollar container handling equipment is hardly a job for unskilled workers. Go climb up on one of those massive Crains. See if you can get it started without killing everybody close by, and then come back and talk about unskilled labor.

Crane operators make a lot more than 20 bucks an hr pal .... waaaaaay more ..

 

[yidnar]

So workers making $20 per hour to start are affecting things? Wow. That's likenot getting paid.

should everybody get starter pay at 50 bucks an hr ... no matter the profession ??

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

McD's pays $22/hr to start in our little town in eastern WA.

There are places in the US where degreed teachers don't make much more than that.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Crain operators make a lot more than 20 bucks an hr pal .... waaaaaay more ..

Crane operators you mean?

 

[yidnar]

So workers making $20 per hour to start are affecting things? Wow. That's likenot getting paid.

just a hand full of yrs ago 20 bucks an hr was considered decent pay ... under the Harris Briben admin it will no longer feed a family and pay the bills .

 

[westwall]

The term "trained monkeys " can get you into trouble unless you are talking about mostly white guys. Try hoisting a thousand pound container and placing it on the deck of a cargo ship. Dock workers are hardly as unskilled as the lame unskilled posters who criticize them.

As impressive as it is to watch them work, the simple fact is automated systems are faster, more reliable, and need fewer breaks.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

They are going to price themselves out of a job. Pretty much everything they do can be automated.

They'll hold a gun to our heads to prevent automation.

 

[Concerned American]

There are places in the US where degreed teachers don't make much more than that.

Tell me about it. Idaho and Mississippi to name a couple.

 

[initforme]

just a hand full of yrs ago 20 bucks an hr was considered decent pay ... under the Harris Briben admin it will no longer feed a family and pay the bills .

30 years ago it was decent at best

 

[initforme]

The term "trained monkeys " can get you into trouble unless you are talking about mostly white guys. Try hoisting a thousand pound container and placing it on the deck of a cargo ship. Dock workers are hardly as unskilled as the lame unskilled posters who criticize them.

Yep. If they're so unskilled and not needed how is it they are causing this overhyped chaos?

 

[DBA]

The term "trained monkeys " can get you into trouble unless you are talking about mostly white guys. Try hoisting a thousand pound container and placing it on the deck of a cargo ship. Dock workers are hardly as unskilled as the lame unskilled posters who criticize them.

Untrained is incorrect, however, what they do is hardly brain surgery. Automation or replacements can be trained in relatively short order to replace them.

 

[DBA]

Yep. If they're so unskilled and not needed how is it they are causing this overhyped chaos?

They are needed and it would take some time to train replacements. They are betting that the lost revenue during the downtime outweighs the labor cost. They should be careful because replacements could be trained faster than they think.

 

[22lcidw]

Yep. If they're so unskilled and not needed how is it they are causing this overhyped chaos?

It is difficult to move into the 21st century. The century where the Progressives spout that humanity has evolved. If automation is in many other nations, then we are behind. And frankly, a growing percentage of Americans are losing their patience in roadblocks in everything we do to survive. Whether its Covid, state and federal government rules and regulations or Unions giving their middle finger as there could be much more efficient means to provide for the citizens. The post office is becoming more and more expensive as much of it can be eliminated. And we do not. And we are still addicted to it.

 

[TNHarley]

How is it that these jobs can affect things so much? Major fault in the whole system.

LOL right? Who needs cheap transportation for goods we trade? Who needs a spot for them to be unloaded?
Maybe you can come up with something better than this easy and cheap transport method that is thousands of years old and helped develop civilization?
What a dumb comment.

 

[TNHarley]

$20 ,per hour to start? Sad pay.

You realize this job only requires you be 18 and have a ged right?
And can make almost 40 an hour in 6 years? Give me a fucking break.
You entitled people blow my mind.

 

[Dragonlady]

How is it that these jobs can affect things so much? Major fault in the whole system.

God forbid you actually NEED workers. Can't have that!

The utter disregard that Republicans have for real working people is disgusting.

 

[Mr Natural]

If only the South had won the Civil War! We wouldn't be having these "labor problems" now.