Earlier today, we did not publish the name of our union brother who died on the job at the Port of Tacoma. His family has now done so in the News-Tribune:
UPDATE: The man’s family has identified him as 46-year-old Jeff Surber of Bonney Lake.
The 46-year-old Bonney Lake man had been an “A” member of Local 23 for seven years, said ILWU Local 23 President Scott Mason. He would have been 47 Wednesday. He has one child, 19 years old.
The mechanic was working atop the towering crane making adjustments to the wire ropes used to raise the metal containers to and from the ship’s deck, said the union local president.
Mason said he expects there will be extensive investigations by the port, the employer, the union and others to determine just what went wrong and how to prevent future accidents. Mason said he didn’t know the specific details of the accident yet.