ABSTRACT
A dockworker is a person who loads cargo to and unloads cargo from ships while in port. At the beginning of the twentieth century, worldwide employment of dockworkers was casual; that is, dockworkers did not have a permanent job, arriving at a port's docks seeking employment for the day. Dockworkers in Germany are members of national trade unions that are affiliated with the european federation of transport workers. The trade unions represent various types of dockworkers, ship line handlers and checkers. Employers of United States port dockworkers also became reluctant to chance a strike, agreeing to settle labor contract extensions much earlier than in the past and accepting higher dockworker wage demands that would not have been accepted prior to the advent of containerization. When dockworker work slowdowns occur, dockworkers are purposely taking more time to provide port services, resulting in a slower provision of these services.
