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- Docker redirects here. For other meanings, see docker (disambiguation).
The words stevedore and docker and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country.
The word "stevedore" (and Dutch stuwadoor) was brought from Spain or Portugal by sailors. It started as a phonetic spelling of Spanish estibador or Portuguese estivador = "a man who stuffs", here in the sense of "a man who loads ships", which was the original meaning of "stevedore"; compare Latin stipāre = "to stuff".
As a result, the word "stevedore" has become proverbial for a man with a lot of muscle, as in "''The ballet troupe found that in the off-season their best male dancer had been working on an oil rig for the money and came back looking like a stevedore."
The work of the men who load and unload ships
In Britain, such men are usually called dockers while in the U.S. the term longshoreman is used, derived from "along-the-shore man".Loading and unloading ships is skilled work that needs operating loading equipment, the proper techniques for lifting and stowing cargo, and correct handling of hazardous materials.
In earlier days, men who load and unload ships had to tie down cargoes with rope. A special form of stop knot is called the stevedore's knot. The methods of securely tying up parcels of goods is called stevedore lashing or stevedore knotting.
While loading a general cargo vessel, they use dunnage, which are pieces of wood (or nowadays sometimes strong inflatable bags) set down to keep the cargo out of any water that might be lying in the hold or are placed as shims between cargo crates to keep them from shifting during a voyage.
They are expected to be physically strong and able to follow orders.
Traditionally, they would have no fixed job and turn up at the docks in the morning hoping to find someone willing to employ him (they are almost exclusively male) for the day. London dockers and Deal porters called this practice "standing on the stones". In Britain, due to changes in employment laws, such jobs have either become permanent or have been to converted to temping jobs.
USA word usage
In usual present-day USA waterfront word usage, a stevedore is a man or a company who manages the operation of loading or unloading a ship. A stevedore typically owns equipment used in the loading or discharge operation and hires longshoremen who load and unload cargo under the direction of a stevedore superintendent.Sometimes the word "stevedore" is still used to mean "man who loads and unloads a ship", as British "docker".
Because they work outdoors in all types of weather, these workers adopted a type of cap that has a snug fit, is warm, and is easily put away in a pocket. These are a type of beanie or watch cap called variously stevedore's cap or stevedore's hat.
Today, a commercial stevedoring company also may contract with a terminal owner to manage all terminal operations. Many large containership operators have established in-house stevedoring operations to handle cargo at their own terminals and to provide stevedoring services to other container carriers.
Two unions within the AFL-CIO represent longshoremen in the United States: the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents longshoremen on the east coast, on the Great Lakes and connected waterways and along the Gulf of Mexico, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents longshoremen along the west coast, in Hawai'i and Alaska, and, through an affiliate, in Canada.
UK word usage
In the United Kingdom, the definition of a stevedore varies from port to port. In some ports, only the highly skilled master of a loading gang is referred to as a "stevedore"."Docker" is the usual general term used in the UK for a man who loads or unloads ships and performs various other jobs required at a sea port.
Australian word usage
In Australia, stevedores / dockers were historically referred to as wharf labourers and were colloquially called wharfies. The Maritime Union of Australia has coverage of these workers, and fought a substantial industrial battle in the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute to prevent the contracting out of work to non-union contractors.Famous stevedores
Famous ex-stevedores include comedian Artie Lange (although he refers to himself as an ex-longshoreman), and Irish-American author Frank McCourt.The film, On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando, is a famous portrayal of longshoremen and their working conditions. It is thought to be partially based on real events.
See also
"Stevedore"