On 4/27/2015 1:31 PM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Apr 2015 13:09:40 -0600, "W. Lohman" > wrote:
>
>> How can a dock worker justify $144K/year?
>
> That's a matter of overtime.

Not really.

That was the average salary.

http://shippingwatch.com/Ports/article5762950.ece
American longshoremen, who are members of a union, earn far more than
the average worker in the U.S. In this week’s SeaIntel Sunday Spotlight,
SeaIntel is putting focus on the issue.

“Given that the current master contract between the ILWU (International
Longshore and Warehouse Union) and the terminal operators will expire in
June next year, and given that the port labor unions in the US have a
substantial power base, we have decided to take a closer look at the US
port labor unions in general and the wage-developments of the
dockworkers in particular,” writes SeaIntel in an analysis.

The analyst firm has compared salary data from Pacific Maritime
Association’s (PMA) homepage with the average salary in the U.S.
According to the website, the longshoremen on the U.S. West Coast earn
an average of 98,603 USD a year including two and a half weeks of
vacation on average. The earnings are about six times as much as the
minimum wage in California and more than double the 42,000 USD including
bonuses, which is the average salary for all Americans, according to
Silicon Valley Index.

A significant part of the longshoremen’s wages are the so-called
royalties for each container handled, and these royalties constituted a
crucial point in the negotiations six months ago when a strike nearly
shut down 14 ports on the U.S. East Coast.

SeaIntel notes that members of the union ILWU receive a benefits package
costing just under 50,000 USD per employee. This package includes fully
paid health care.

http://www.pmanet.org/the-ilwu-workforce

Wages
ILWU workers receive a compensation package that is among the most
lucrative among all blue-collar workers in the United States. Full-time
workers earn an average of $147,000 annually in wages, along with a
non-wage benefits package costing more than $82,000 per active worker
per year.

Health Benefits
The ILWU benefits package includes fully paid health care for workers,
retirees and their families with no premiums, no in-network deductibles
and 100 percent coverage of basic hospital, medical and surgical
benefits. Prescription drugs are covered for $1 per prescription; dental
and vision care are provided to workers, retirees and their families at
little or no cost.

Pensions
Workers are also eligible for a pension that has seen major upgrades in
recent years, with a current maximum benefit of nearly $80,000 per year.
Workers have access to a 401(k) savings plan with an employer
contribution, as well as 13 paid holidays each year and up to six weeks
of paid vacation.

> Employers need to hire more workers.

Possibly.