I completed my second phase of my Longshore processing today. They gave me 13 minutes to complete the lashing test and I did it in 6 minutes and 55 seconds. No record or anything but enough for me to pass. I was on motrin and aspirin to subside some of the pain. Once I finished, I limped off and went home. I start officially working for the PMA on May 6th. So for those who know what this means to me, I MADE IT!!!!

Congratulations man! It is always good to hear of success when it seems downsizing is the flavor of the decade---

Very good, very good!

scott. very proud of you. you deserve a great future

You rule man...glad to hear things are turning your way!

If ya need more lashing practice....a-ron seems to be a prime candidate....

that's excellent news, scott --
it was really nice meeting you..

QUOTE ("Z" @ Apr 27 2005, 07:23 PM)

If ya need more lashing practice....a-ron seems to be a prime candidate....

mike...

a

I wanna MEAL not a SNACK little boy.....

Congratulations Scott.

very cool scott. What kind of hours do you work? Does this mean no more weekends at skline's garage?

Sweet, great news!
Ferg

With al the extra money coming in u gunna build a six?
Joe

Way to Go!!!!!!! Now finish the Shalom before you start lashin' dem cans.

Way to go Scott!! The benefits and retirement are pretty good. Go have a Propel

QUOTE (Joe Sharp @ Apr 27 2005, 07:58 PM)

With al the extra money coming in u gunna build a six? Joe

I bet scott's gonna sign off the 914club forever and buy a 911

QUOTE (MattR @ Apr 27 2005, 09:40 PM)

QUOTE (Joe Sharp @ Apr 27 2005, 07:58 PM) With al the extra money coming in u gunna build a six? Joe I bet scott's gonna sign off the 914club forever and buy a 911

I may get a 911 but I will always have a 914. So no, I am a lifetime member here. Unless I get voted off.

Congrats Scott

Excellent! Knew you could do it. Congrats.

Congrats, Scott, you made it that far, now you, have to start making the morning and evening job calls, did you get your letter and #, and don't go into debt yet, and don't start counting your 911's untill there paid for.

They, start off in K tomorrow, and only a little over 600 jobs, for 1,800 causals.

well done!

Blue for the stock body and metallic grey for Shalom?

Nice job Scott. Now you can make the big bank.

It was great to meet you. As fate would have it, you got the only ride.

Quote
I currently support several networks but being self employed doesn't give me anything towards retirement and no benefits. The Longshore job will give me all of that and about 6 figures a year. I can do both till I get totally burned out and then will just stick with the Longshore job till I retire.

Scott, I, don't want to rain on your parade, but don't give up your day job. You will be a causual, no benefits or retirement or six figures a year, untill your in the union.
There were casual's that finally, after Seven years got there B cards, and are now in the union.

Around September last year, ILWU started elavating people with 4,500 hrs, and these people have been waiting 7 years.

There was a reinstatment of about 500 causals, the last I heard, these were casuals that had to go find jobs, because they had families to support, and could not live on 2 to 3 days a month as a causal.

There were causals, that after 7 years, were going to make it, but they didn't pass the drug test, and were fired.

There were B books, that were moving up to A books, didn't pass the drug test, but because they were already in the Union, they were not fired, but had to go to a six month rehab, and after that they have to go back to the causal hall for 2 years.

There were 3 causals, there first night they get to work, they get lashing, they come down at lunch, tell the crane boss, there leaving, the boss tells them they can't leave, they tell him he doesn't understand, they quit and gave the crane boss there causal cards, and left.

You thought you were in pain after 6 minutes of lashing, see how you feel after 10 hrs.
Edit
Then there's the 10 hrs of lashing in the rain, and in the cold, your arms feel like there gonna fall off, that is if you can pick them up.
Edit

QUOTE (V6914 @ Apr 27 2005, 11:01 PM)

You thought you were in pain after 6 minutes of lashing, see how you feel after 10 hrs.

Scott was in pain from pounding his ass in the 914 all weekend not the lashing.....

congrats on the job...


but what are you lashing??

The lashing was cake work, the pain was from the car beating the shit out of me as Joe said, it started Saturday after the Poker run. I can handle whatever they give me. I am going to test for everything and have extreme confidence I can pass any drug test they want to give. I am going for a clerk job anyway. I know a lot of people at the port and will use every connection I can to get in as a clerk. I helped design the network and programs they use at Maersk so that is where I should be. A job is a job and I will do what ever it takes to get in. Thanks for all the negatives though, it didnt discourage me at all. I know that is how it is and I am willing to deal with it. If it means lashing for 10 hours, then I will lash for 10 hours. The ones that walk off obviously dont want it enough and dont know a good thing when it is right in front of them. It's their loss and my gain. The more pussies that walk off, the faster I can work my way up.

QUOTE (i love porsche @ Apr 28 2005, 05:29 AM)

congrats on the job... but what are you lashing??

Lashing is where you connect the containers on the ship to the platform they are sitting on. The only ones to get lashed down are the ones above the deck, below deck they are not worried about them falling over the side. It is hard work and considered the hardest of all jobs at the port. My instructor yesterday did it for 9 of his 11 years and said a job is a job and he liked Lashing. Now he teaches it.

OUTSTANDING Scott!!! Way to go.

Congrats!

Scott, I wasn't trying to discourage you, I was just trying to give you a heads up, from what you posted, you have the wrong idea of how it is down there.

First off, your a causal, you will go to the causal hall, you are given a letter and a #, you will listen as the dispatcher calls out the letters and #'s, you will get in line ahead of time, in your correct alpha and numerical position, if your are not in the right place, you will be floped, or you may cause someone else to be floped, and they will be very unhappy, that you caused them to lose out on a job and money ( floped = asked to step out of the line, sorry no job for you today, better luck tomorrow) there are what are called sargent of arms, to help you comply, when you do get to the window you'll hold up your card and call out your letter and #, you will then proceed to the next window and pick up your job, your job may be at Maersk Sealand, or APL or Hanjin or Evergreen, or any of the other shipping Companies, and your job may be clerking, or driving or lashing or swinging or signaling or trains or other assorted jobs, then again they may not even make it to your letter and #, then it's back to, better luck tomorrow.

Congrats!!! You have a real positive attitude and work ethic!!

How come I keep missing these posts?????

Way To Go Scott! I really hope it works out for you.
BIll

QUOTE (V6914 @ Apr 28 2005, 07:19 PM)

Scott, I wasn't trying to discourage you, I was just trying to give you a heads up, from what you posted, you have the wrong idea of how it is down there. First off, your a causal, you will go to the causal hall, you are given a letter and a #, you will listen as the dispatcher calls out the letters and #'s, you will get in line ahead of time, in your correct alpha and numerical position, if your are not in the right place, you will be floped, or you may cause someone else to be floped, and they will be very unhappy, that you caused them to lose out on a job and money ( floped = asked to step out of the line, sorry no job for you today, better luck tomorrow) there are what are called sargent of arms, to help you comply, when you do get to the window you'll hold up your card and call out your letter and #, you will then proceed to the next window and pick up your job, your job may be at Maersk Sealand, or APL or Hanjin or Evergreen, or any of the other shipping Companies, and your job may be clerking, or driving or lashing or swinging or signaling or trains or other assorted jobs, then again they may not even make it to your letter and #, then it's back to, better luck tomorrow.

Thanks for the heads up, I worked down at Pier G for almost 4 years, most of my friends are longshoremen and because I was an independant contractor I worked with all the management also. I got to know a lot about how the port works and they all told me what to do and what to expect. I was direct contract to Sealand and then they were bought out by Maersk. I still have a lot of connections with many people down at the port. Granted, the management wont be able to help me much at this point but I will keep in contact with them and see if it will help me in the future.

QUOTE (skline @ Apr 28 2005, 09:01 PM)

QUOTE (V6914 @ Apr 28 2005, 07:19 PM) Scott, I wasn't trying to discourage you, I was just trying to give you a heads up, from what you posted, you have the wrong idea of how it is down there. First off, your a causal, you will go to the causal hall, you are given a letter and a #, you will listen as the dispatcher calls out the letters and #'s, you will get in line ahead of time, in your correct alpha and numerical position, if your are not in the right place, you will be floped, or you may cause someone else to be floped, and they will be very unhappy, that you caused them to lose out on a job and money ( floped = asked to step out of the line, sorry no job for you today, better luck tomorrow) there are what are called sargent of arms, to help you comply, when you do get to the window you'll hold up your card and call out your letter and #, you will then proceed to the next window and pick up your job, your job may be at Maersk Sealand, or APL or Hanjin or Evergreen, or any of the other shipping Companies, and your job may be clerking, or driving or lashing or swinging or signaling or trains or other assorted jobs, then again they may not even make it to your letter and #, then it's back to,  better luck tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up, I worked down at Pier G for almost 4 years, most of my friends are longshoremen and because I was an independant contractor I worked with all the management also. I got to know a lot about how the port works and they all told me what to do and what to expect. I was direct contract to Sealand and then they were bought out by Maersk. I still have a lot of connections with many people down at the port. Granted, the management wont be able to help me much at this point but I will keep in contact with them and see if it will help me in the future.

Well Scott, I guess you have everything handled, and there's no point in me saying anything else, except that, the only way some people learn anything, is, they have to do it the hard way.

Work Safe and Good Luck

WOOHOO!

Careful not to.. err... rip the shirt..




M

Last year, around Aug, a guy working on deck, got his shirt ripped, when a cable snaped, they found his head( with his safety hat still straped on) shoulder and right arm, in what was left of his ripped shirt, 30 feet from the body.

The year before that, a guy standing on the dock, got killed when the ship listed toward the dock, and a life raft raft that hadn't been secured yet, slid off and smashed him.

Then there are lost fingers and toes and hands from people putting there hands where there not suppose to be.

Do to the fact, that there are a lot of stupid people down there, people will continue to get hurt and killed, and most of it is due to the stupid people.

QUOTE (skline @ Apr 28 2005, 10:59 AM)

The more pussies that walk off, the faster I can work my way up.

Damn right man.
Congrats.

Do try to keep all extremities attached though.

I agree whole heartedly with you. There are lots of stupid people down there. While I was working there I watched as a container fell on someone, I saw a guy get run over by a tophandler and saw several people sustain severe back injuries driving UTR's when someone didnt relaese the container from the trailer and it would lift them way up and drop them to the ground. The worst thing down there that scares me is when you walk out into the parking lot after lunch and see what looks like an after party of empty beer and liquor bottles everywhere. Then these guys go jump in the tophandlers and UTR's and go driving way too fast through the yard. I will be contacting you in the near future so we can talk and get to know each other. It never hurts to have a friend down there to partner up with. Besides, if you are alone down there, you wont get the deals. I appreciate your input also.

Congrats. Scott. If your back is still bothering you I can show you some exercises that I have been doing for the last 30 years that have a helped me a lot. When I first hurt my back they took me away in an ambulance. Now I am still mountain biking at age 59. See ya soon.
Cheers, Elliot

QUOTE (Elliot Cannon @ Apr 29 2005, 05:42 PM)

Congrats. Scott. If your back is still bothering you I can show you some exercises that I have been doing for the last 30 years that have a helped me a lot. When I first hurt my back they took me away in an ambulance. Now I am still mountain biking at age 59. See ya soon. Cheers, Elliot

i think you left hout a digit on your age elliot....


1 5 9

yeah yeah, i know youll kick my ass when you get back to this hemisphere

Way to go Scott! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$