As part of our continuing coverage looking at the Ports we had the chance to get a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of a crane operator.
TACOMA, Wash. -- Mike Hartman has been a crane operator for the last 20 years, but he’s 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.
“You just got to make sure you’re 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,” Hartman said. “Every ship is different, so if it’s a little smaller, it’s little more meticulous to drive on.”
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.
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.
“We’re in a really crucial time in the shipping industry right now. The competition is the hottest it’s ever been, and Washington has a lot of exports, but that import market. It’s critical that we keep that work here, or the rest of the state could really suffer,” McGrath said. “40% of Washington jobs are based in some form or fashion to this industry, and it’s important that we all recognize that, and we keep these ports thriving.
“We need these ports. Tacoma and Seattle are Tacoma and Seattle because there were ports. That’s what we tend to forget. They were cities because they were ports first,” McGrath said. “We all have to be pulling in the same direction and focused on what we need to keep our ports competitive.”
Hartman said he’s hopeful about the future, but until it becomes clearer, he will continue to focus on the operator job he loves.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Hartman said. “You’re in a different crane every day, always doing something different.”
Copyright 2016 KING
Video can be viewed via this link
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