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.