ILWU Local 32 longshoremen stand clear as logs are loaded onto a ship in Everett, WA. Last week's log ship was the first to depart from Everett since 2007.
The Korea-bound ship, the Port Phillip, provided jobs for six days for about 35 people, said Ken Hudson of Local 32 of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehouseman’s Union.
Hudson said working logs is more difficult than loading or unloading containers. Logs have a lot of variables — lengths and weights — and need to be loaded in a specific way aboard a ship. There’s also the likelihood that you’ll fall into the bay if you don’t watch out because you’re standing on rafts of logs that can slip or roll.
“It’s been dumping rain,” he added. “Logs sink. They slip. They move. The next thing you know, you’re taking a swim in Port Gardner Bay.”
He noted that some of the older longshoremen have been trying to educate the younger members about how to handle the logs and remain safe.