Dockworker

A dockworker (also called a longshoreman, stevedore, docker, wharfman, lumper or wharfie) is a waterfront manual laborer who loads and unloads ships.

The role of dockworkers has evolved significantly over the centuries as maritime trade has grown and modernized: Loading and unloading ships requires knowledge of the operation of loading equipment, the proper techniques for lifting and stowing cargo, and the correct handling of hazardous materials.

In earlier days before the introduction of containerization, men who loaded and unloaded ships had to tie down cargoes with rope.

Before containerization, freight was often handled with a longshoreman’s hook, a tool which became emblematic of the profession (mainly on the west coast of the United States and Canada).

[18] Traditionally, stevedores had no fixed job but would arrive at the docks in the morning seeking employment for the day.

London dockers called this practice standing on the stones,[19] while in the United States, it was referred to as shaping up or assembling for the shape-up.