At the center of the storm are the port workers, Lilliputians alongside the behemoth vessels. Their days start at dawn when they crowd into the union hall to get an assignment. First, there’s a safety talk; then, they scatter to their trucks, cranes, top lifts, docks and colorful canyons of containers.
Moving the big boxes can be a treacherous business, unforgiving of error, where a moment’s carelessness can wound or kill. Containers can slip from grasp. Large metal lashing rods, which secure the box onto the ship, can fall. Workers climb ladders and dodge forklifts. An accident can shut down the operation, and create more backlogs.
“You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel,” said former crane operator and third-generation longshoreman Aaron Wright, amid the roar of lifts, the beeping of tractors and the squealing of truck brakes.
Stacking and unstacking the containers “is a Rubik’s Cube, with everything needing to go different places,” said Melvin Mackay, 68, vice president of Local 10 with 30 years of dock experience.
Perched behind the controls of an insect-like tractor, Oakland native Aaron Laird, 44, moves boxes with focus and precision. Directed by radio, he navigates the yard to find the parking spot of each box — driving to Baker 405, for instance, or Apple 118. Despite the pressure, he doesn’t rush.
“Safety first,” said Laird. “It’s a hard day but it’s a good day. It’s feeding a family. I love my career.”
The surge in demand means “more work, more money,” he said. “It’s a brighter future.”