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Passenger Ramp Interior of Berth 155 in 1937
Robert Dollar and his son R. Stanley altered their business plan during the 1920s: they began focusing on acquiring established shipping enterprises for Pacific and long-range shipping. By the mid-1920s, the Dollar Line nearly monopolized U.S. shipping in the Pacific. The departure of the Dollar Line ship, the President Harrison, on January 5, 1924, introduced "around-the-world" passenger and cargo service. The around-the-world route was a profitable venture, allowing the Dollars to ship freight from the Far East to the East Coast, then to travel though the Panama Canal to the booming ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco. By 1927, the Dollar Line had initiated a trans-Pacific "horseshoe" route that linked San Francisco and Seattle ports to ports across the Pacific. Shortly after setting up this route, Dollar constructed newer and larger port facilities at Hunt's Point in New York and in Shanghai. Dollar's son was handed the company reins in the late 1920s.
Oil workers at the Port's oil terminals are unionized and most belong to the
Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union. Two to five people comprise a work unit
at the oil terminal and refinery. Strong bonds are formed allowing the crew to
work smoothly. The crew tends to stay together for a year and then a new unit
is formed. In earlier years, crews and crew leaders were shifted constantly, making
it difficult to build strong ties or work closely together, as the laborers often
did not know the people they were assigned to work with.
Click on the image to view the Ports of Call map
Before the 1960s, oil companies typically instituted three 8-hour shifts for
employees: the day shift, the swing shift, and the night shift. Three employees
worked the day shift; one laborer was in charge of terminal operations, a second
dealt with gauging light-end products (e.g., diesel and gasoline), and the third
worker handled all dock operations. This employee stocked and cleaned the docks,
tested hoses for leaks, and worked the ships when they docked. One employee was
assigned to work the swing shift and another the night shift. During the latter
two shifts, the individual worker was responsible for all wharf side operations,
including gauging product in the tanks and overseeing the dock facility. When
a ship came into the berth, the employee on duty called in extra workers from
the refinery.
Today, employees are assigned a 12-hour shift around the clock. During their
shift, each employee is in charge of the offsite refinery and the marine terminal.
Tasks include watching tank levels, taking tank level readings, and notifying
the State Lands Commission if a ship or barge comes in to offload product. The
employee is also responsible for completing the necessary paperwork for the state
and other agencies when a vessel docks at the terminal. If an oil spill occurs,
this worker notifies his or her superiors of an emergency and a general alarm
is sounded. A call for a general alarm beckons different agencies, including the
fire department and a spill control and cleanup firm. Everyone works together
to contend with the oil problem in the water.
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