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300,000 seek 3,000 dockworker jobs

By Alex Veiga
The Associated Press

REED SAXON / AP Jim McKenna, left, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, representing employers, dumps post cards from job seekers at the Port of Los Angeles in the San Pedro district of the city yesterday.

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The cattle call for workers — a rare occurrence in the shipping industry — drew an overwhelming response since the union began accepting cards last week. It comes amid a crush of cargo from the Far East, which has created a dire need for more dockworkers at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

"This is by far the largest turnout we've ever had," said Jim McKenna, president and chief executive of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

Outside the Port of Los Angeles building where the drawing was taking place, signs told applicants to look on the Internet for results. Police officers were on hand to discourage applicants from gathering.

Postcards mailed in by job seekers filled nearly one-third of a metal container the size of a small car.

Arbitrator Jan Holmes stepped through a side opening into the large mesh container and scooped up an armful of cards, walking on top of the stack. Several dozen union and shipping-company employees sorted them before putting the cards into counting machines.

Arbitrators intended to select roughly 8,880 cards and mix them with an equal amount of cards sent in by workers already affiliated with the port industry.

The final 3,000 were to be randomly hand-picked from a combined pool of roughly 18,000 cards, McKenna said.

"I really hope to get the job, but I know it's a long shot," said Freddie Baker, a school-bus driver from Los Angeles.

The 40-year-old father of six said he considered mailing in more than one application card but ultimately sent one, fearing he might be disqualified.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime to get a job making $100,000," said Baker, who now earns about $40,000 a year.
 
Fully registered longshoremen earned an annual average of $89,484 in 2003, according to a PMA report. The highest-paid 72 percent averaged $106,520, while the 19.1 percent who clocked the most hours were paid an average of $141,058.

Registered longshoremen also receive free health benefits, pension and an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan.

The names of the first 300 people selected in the drawing were posted on a PMA Web site last night. The rest were to be selected next week, Sugarman said.

Only two other such application drives have been held in the past 20 years. Both times — 1984 and 1997 — more than 20,000 people applied for a chance to make it onto the casual worker roster.