Tonight, our CARGOLAND series takes you back behind the gates of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Loading and unloading ships provides the kind of jobs you can still raise a family on, jobs that built the American middle class in the 20th century. But throughout the country those jobs are disappearing. Producer Lu Olkowski meets people who have spent years as temporary workers hoping to get into the union.
Lu Olkowski produced this story as part of KCRW's Independent Producer Project, with editing by Sean Cole and mixing by Brendan Baker. For photos and to hear more stories go to kcrw.com/cargoland.