Responding to the rapid growth of trans-Pacific trade through the Port of Tacoma, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 23 recently added 170 workers to Tacoma’s longshore workforce.

Those most recently hired have completed classroom and on-terminal training in safety, diversity and general longshore work at Tacoma’s Pacific Northwest Training Center.

In March 2005, more than 17,000 prospective longshore workers mailed their names for a drawing. Of that total, 1,876 names were randomly drawn and sequenced. According to PMA, this pool of prospective workers will be called upon to – by July 2005 – expand Tacoma’s labor force to 350 identified casual workers and 300 unidentified casual workers, in addition to a workforce of 773 registered longshore workers.

Identified casuals have an ID card and more training than unidentified casuals.

“As our customers grow, it is essential that our longshore labor force grows with them,” said Timothy J. Farrell, the Port of Tacoma’s Executive Director. “We want to make it clear that we have terminal capacity with room for expansion, we have road and rail capacity, and we have the labor capacity that our customers need to be successful here in Tacoma.”