This is interesting – an annual survey of port efficiency. In light of the new port workers’ strike on East Coast it’s worth looking at. Table E.1 starts around page 11.
Note that the first American port on the list is at #53, Charleston (my town!) Curiously, my neighbor Savannah is nearly at the bottom.
Also close to the bottom: Tacoma, Oakland, Long Beach, Los Angeles.
Imagine how powerful a stimulant to the economy an efficient port would be. Looks like we need a change from the current structure. – Left Coast Dan
Union protected jobs are not designed for efficiency, they are designed for security, the security of the worker.
When you are paid by the hour, unloading one container or a hundred, it is all the same.
The average dock worker was making 6 figures before the strike, now it is settled, with the workers getting a 62% raise.
Unions BA’s and their bodies are really good at pricing themselves out of the market. Automation is going to greatly accelerate their replacement.
Have to delve into that as rankings alone don’t tell the story.
The longshoremen’s union voted today not to strike and put off any strike vote until after the election in January. Coincidence, I think not.
Don’t even get me started
We imported lead shot from Peru and could put 20 tons in a container
80 25lb bags to a ton
We paid about $20/bag and sold for $25 so $400/ton or $8K and moved it all by hand
If the customs wanted to open the container we had to pay for a longshoreman to cut the seal. But since the value was over something like $2,000 there had to be a second one to make sure the first one wasn’t stealing anything. Then since there was more than one, we had to pay for a lead man. The bill came to north of $600
That was nearly 10% of what we were making on the shipment BEFORE you take out all of the other expenses.
It’s a fucking racket
What did the union boss get this time? He already got a yacht and a Bently.