{"id":2399,"date":"2016-05-09T13:36:27","date_gmt":"2016-05-09T13:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minutes.machine.market\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2016-05-09T13:36:27","modified_gmt":"2016-05-09T13:36:27","slug":"2399-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/machine.market\/blog\/2399-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the scenes with a Port of Tacoma crane operator"},"content":{"rendered":"
Alex Rozier for King5<\/a> reports from Tacoma Washington. — Mike Hartman has been a crane operator for the last 20 years, but he\u2019s worked at the Port of Tacoma for 40. Five days a week he works 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., sitting more than a hundred feet in the air meticulously stacking containers filled with products from businesses throughout the state of Washington.<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou just got to make sure you\u2019re lined up properly and you got to hit things right on the money or you going to be playing with it for quite a while,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cEvery ship is different, so if it\u2019s a little smaller, it\u2019s little more meticulous to drive on.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Hartman said he has witnessed many changes in his 40 years at the port as equipment has been upgraded, and several new faces have joined their team.<\/div>\n
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Dean McGrath is the President of the Longshore and Warehouse Union at the Port of Tacoma, and he said if the port is going to continue its success for years to come it will need new equipment, upgrades, and investments from the legislature.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re in a really crucial time in the shipping industry right now. The competition is the hottest it\u2019s ever been, and Washington has a lot of exports, but that import market. It\u2019s critical that we keep that work here, or the rest of the state could really suffer,\u201d McGrath said. \u201c40% of Washington jobs are based in some form or fashion to this industry, and it\u2019s important that we all recognize that, and we keep these ports thriving.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe need these ports. Tacoma and Seattle are Tacoma and Seattle because there were ports. That\u2019s what we tend to forget. They were cities because they were ports first,\u201d McGrath said. \u201cWe all have to be pulling in the same direction and focused on what we need to keep our ports competitive.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Hartman said he\u2019s hopeful about the future, but until it becomes clearer, he will continue to focus on the operator job he loves.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cYou\u2019re in a different crane every day, always doing something different.\u201d<\/div>\n