dkrc Chapter 55 Unemployed Dockworkers
Chapter 55 Unemployed Dockworkers
"Yes, yes, Mr. Horus, the security guard."
The bearded man nodded hurriedly in agreement. The pain from the beating he had just received hadn't subsided, and he was quite adept at maintaining his composure when facing Simon Lin, who was holding a baseball bat: whatever the other man said, he would do.
Lin Ximeng nodded and pointed with his baseball bat at the bearded man and the three men beside him: "What's your relationship with all of you? What do you all do?"
The bearded man answered honestly, "We're all cargo handlers at Long Beach Port. We work together every day and are friends. After work or on our days off, we like to come here for a couple of drinks to relax."
He pointed to the people next to him and introduced them, "My name is Joe Eaton, the one in the red hat is Dave, the tall and strong one is Tony, and the one in the blue shirt is Matt."
After listening, Lin Ximeng asked, "Since you're all friends, why did you suddenly start fighting while you were drinking peacefully?"
Finally, Lin Ximeng emphasized, "Or are you here deliberately to cause trouble?"
"Absolutely not!" Joe Eaton quickly explained when he saw Simon Lin swinging his baseball bat again.
He glanced furtively at Tony, whose face was grim beside him, then looked at the other two and said, "Actually, it's because of Tony. He's getting fired from the docks..."
With Joe Eaton's further explanation, Simon Lin learned that the Port of Long Beach, where these workers were located, had seen a significant decrease in trade orders this year due to the trade war.
A decrease in orders means a decrease in the total amount of work done at the docks.
With the reduction in the total workload, each of these dockworkers who handle cargo naturally receives significantly less work.
"Since the beginning of spring this year, the dock has been laying off staff on and off, and many people have been dismissed."
Joe paused, then added with a hint of relief,
"Fortunately, several of us joined the dock union, and the union would negotiate with the docks on our behalf. So those who were laid off before were the ones who hadn't joined the union, which is why it hadn't been our turn before."
Listening to this, Lin Ximeng asked curiously, "Since joining the guild is so good, why don't the others join?"
"Probably, they just don't want to pay union dues?" Joe Eaton considered for a moment and offered a conclusion he agreed with.
"In order to protect our jobs and benefits, the union has to deal with various parties. Therefore, a portion of our wages has to be handed over to the union as expenses for its operation."
Lin Ximeng sensed something was off: "How much do we have to pay to the union?"
"It's hard to say," Joe Eaton thought for a moment. His data wasn't great, so he could only give examples.
"Last year, some of our salaries increased from $3,000 before tax to $4,000 before tax, which means $1,200 has to be given to the union."
Lin Ximeng gasped: How much? Four thousand dollars and he has to hand over twelve hundred?
This can be called a union?
Isn't this just a typical workers' gang?
The more Simon Lin listened to Joe Eaton's explanation, the more alarmed he became. He felt that these dockworkers' unions on the West Coast, to put it nicely, were working for the welfare of workers, but to put it bluntly, they were gangs disguised as unions.
They talk about uniting every worker, but in reality, they're better at playing the gang game than anyone else.
So-called benefits, where did they come from negotiating with the employers?
It was all obtained by selling off workers who weren't union members to the employers as bargaining chips.
Jobs are given priority and monopolized, with salaries and benefits doubled. Non-union members can't even get a small job like moving goods; it's like fighting for territory.
Simon Lin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Since you kept your jobs thanks to the union, why did you have to fight all of a sudden?"
Just as Joe Eaton was about to speak, Tony suddenly clenched his fists, his breathing became heavy, and his face turned bright red.
Lin Ximeng glanced at him and pointed, "You tell me."
Tony slammed his fist on the table, roaring and cursing, "It's all that old Jeremy's fault, son of a bitch!"
His chest heaved violently.
"He betrayed me, otherwise I wouldn't be on the layoff list!"
Joe Eaton quickly reached out and pressed down on his arm, whispering, "Tony, calm down. Jeremy must have his reasons. He's not usually bad to us..."
Lin Ximeng didn't say anything, just listened with his arms crossed.
Tony took a few deep breaths before managing to explain the whole story in fits and starts.
It turned out that they were drinking when the layoff notice from the dock arrived. When Tony saw his name on the list, he immediately exploded.
"Jeremy, that guy, he's kind of our squad leader," Tony said, clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white.
"He usually handles all the messy things like coordinating layoffs and job assignments between the dock and the labor union."
A few days ago, I saw him sneaking into the union chairman's house, carrying a lot of things.
Moreover, he suddenly took leave these past few days, and we can't reach him by phone or find him at home; it's like he's been abducted by aliens.
Tony became more and more agitated as he spoke, slamming his hand on the table: "Who else could it be but him? He must have betrayed me for his own benefit."
As Tony spoke, his voice suddenly choked up, and his shoulders slumped.
He slumped back into his chair, ran his hands through his messy hair, and his voice trembled with tears:
I'm about to lose my job...
My wife just gave birth last month, and we still have a mortgage and car loan to pay. Our fixed expenses are over three thousand US dollars every month.
Without this job, I'm really doomed...
The other three people fell silent after hearing this, their faces showing only helplessness. Business at the port was sluggish this year, and they didn't have much savings, basically living paycheck to paycheck every month.
After listening to what the others said, Lin Ximeng suddenly realized: Could the Jeremy they were talking about be the old man in charge of bar garbage collection in the "Daily Intelligence"?
Thinking of these things, he continued, "How old is this Jeremy you're talking about? What does he look like?"
After Joe Eaton and the others described some of Jeremy's physical characteristics, Lin Simon quickly reviewed the information in the [Daily Intelligence] in his mind:
The physical characteristics matched perfectly; it was indeed the same person.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: So Jeremy had this other identity. Now the clues to finding him have been completely connected.
Lin Ximeng noticed Tony was still slumped in his chair, sighing, and offered some words of comfort: "If all else fails, just become a homeless person. At least you won't have to pay your mortgage or car loan."
These words only made Tony feel worse; his eyes reddened, and he slumped onto the table, groaning in pain.
Joe Eaton, Dave, and Matt quickly went over to pat him on the back to comfort him, saying that if all else failed, they would all work together to find a solution.
Lin Simon ignored the men's emotional outburst and turned to walk to the bar, handing a baseball bat covered in stockings to Sharana: "All done, they've all quieted down."
Sharana put away the baseball bat, took out $5 from the drawer and handed it back with a smile: "As the boss said, the drinks are free for a week. This is for your tequila."
Lin Ximeng took the money and casually replied, "Thank you for your boss's generosity."
He knew in his heart that although the drinks were supposed to be free, there was definitely a limit. If he really treated the boss like a sucker and came to drink recklessly every day, he would be the one getting a baseball bat next time.
However, getting a free drink every day is definitely not a problem.
As he was thinking, Sharana suddenly leaned closer, whispered in Simon's ear, and said softly, "Jeremy just came back. He's by the trash can by the back door."