No Shortage of Available Workers on the Waterfront.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach don't have to worry about finding workers -- even in today's tight labor market.

The increasing flow of goods is creating a need for more cargo handlers, and candidates have been queuing up in recent weeks for some of the area's best-paying jobs.

"When there are openings, the lines area mile long," said Steve Stallone, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehousing Union, which represent the cargo handlers on the waterfront. "Do you know what these jobs pay? We get 50 to 100 candidates for each opening."

The opportunities are mostly in the casual labor pool from which workers are hired on a daily basis, as needed, for as much as $27 an hour. Only after years in that pool can a worker become a registered longshoreman and get guaranteed work, as well as the full range of union benefits that come with the job.

At that point they can look forward to making more than $100,000 a year.

Because a labor shortage two years ago was partially responsible for serious delays in moving cargo, the Pacific Maritime Association, which oversees hiring for shipping lines along the West Coast, has been adding workers at a rapid pace.

"The PMA and the union initiated a hiring program in the ports," said Larry Keller, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. "They have added between 2,500 and 3,000 casuals, and the employment of them has been very good."

In October, work-force at the ports was up 15 percent from the like period a year earlier, and up 38 percent from October 1997, according to the California Employment Development Department. That represents an increase of 3,600 workers, the bulk of which are cargo handlers.

"You only have to watch our trade deficit to see how busy we are," said Jay Winter, executive secretary with the Steamship Association of Southern California.

Indeed, both local ports reported huge increases in the number of containers that arrived and departed during October. In L.A., the number was up 24.4 percent from October of last year, making it the busiest month in the port's history.

In Long Beach, container volume was up 14.1 percent in October from the like period a year earlier. It was the third busiest month ever at that port, after August and September of this year.

It's not only new casual employees that have swelled the workforce. Since October 1997, the number of registered longshoremen in Long Beach and Los Angeles has increased by 808, or 25 percent.

"We've had to process a large number of casuals, and many of them have become registered," said Robert Dockendorff, vice president with the PMA in San Francisco. "Although we do rely on casuals, registered longshoremen still do 95 percent of the work in L.A. and Long Beach."

He said the PMA tries to keep the pool of casuals in L.A. County at between 2,000 and 3,000 and adds to that total as people either drop out of the pool or become registered longshoremen.

"A lot of people look at the earnings and benefits and say, 'This is the job for me,"' Dockendorff said. "But after they've tried it for a day, few decide to stay on the waterfront. On the other hand, you don't want to build the pool way up, because when the slower shipping season comes along, people will get disillusioned that there is not enough work for them."

During the peak season, casuals can work as many as three or four days a week. But during the slow season, they're lucky to get any work at all. Industry officials also warn that new technology is increasing productivity and must be factored into the workforce equation.

"There is a correlation between traffic and labor needs," said Bob Kleist, advisor with Evergreen America Co., one of the largest shipping lines at the Port of Los Angeles. "But we are becoming more efficient in handling cargo at the same time. For example, we've invested $50 million in new cranes in L.A., which are designed to move 30 containers per hour, whereas the old cranes could handle maybe 24 containers per hour."

That increased efficiency, along with other handling and staffing moves, has helped the ports avoid noticeable delays as a result of the record volume of cargo.

"It's been basically smooth," Keller said. "If there are any delays, exporters and importers are typically quick to complain about them. But I haven't heard anything so far."

As the deluge of goods continues to increase, and space for expansion runs out, adding shifts will become crucial to handling additional growth, said Rich Grinley, a spokesman for American President Line Ltd. in Oakland. Although some people may work double shifts as a result, it will also create a demand for even more workers.

Labor relations, meanwhile, have stabilized after a somewhat acrimonious summer when the PMA and union were negotiating a new labor agreement.