Longshoremen’s Union

The Longshoremen’s Union is a fixture on the wharves. Operating out of an unassuming storefront facing the wharves, a visitor wouldn’t know this group employs every sweating stevedore unloading the ships on the wharves. The truth is, anyone who wants work on the wharves must join the union. Those who don’t and think they can get away with not paying their dues face a cordial but firm welcoming committee who clarifies the need for joining the brotherhood. Woe to those who refuse. A person has one chance to join. If they don’t, they’re beaten— and if they still refuse, they disappear. Those fools who try to break the union with scabs, or try to cut union wages, are in for a full-scale strike—one that effectively shuts down the city. Thus, no one crosses the Longshoremen’s Union. Usually, these bruisers are locals with a reason to stay on dry land—strong family ties, a surreptitious weak stomach, or just a desire to live a normal life. They’re big and burly, but while they blow off some steam now and again, they don’t raise the same kind of ruckus visiting sailors do. Freeport is their home, after all, not just a way station.

History

Among the movers and shakers of Freeport, there’s a lot of scorn directed at the Longshoremen. The Captains’ Council and no few local merchants decry the union, claiming it is little more than a gang of thieves and extortionists, worse than the cutpurses haunting the rest of the Docks. Despite the mutterings of the elite, the Longshoremen are in fact one of the few honest organizations in town. This wasn’t always the case. For years, the Longshoremen’s Union was a joke. The bosses lined their pockets with sweetheart deals that left the workers out in the cold. While these corrupt officials got rich, and ship captains paid starving wages to the workers to off-load their ships, the people of the Docks suffered. So long as the Captains’ Council got their cut, they ignored the plight of the stevedores and longshoremen, allowing the exploitation and terrible conditions to persist.
Everything changed about a decade ago. Poppy Bragg , a member of the union, emerged as a force of nature. Dissatisfied with his pay and disgusted by the corruption riddling the upper levels of the organization, he championed the cause of the worker and fought his way to the top. He built a union to be feared and respected. He met with merchants and ship owners and laid down the law, tearing up the old contracts and hammering out tough new ones. At the same time, he insisted his members pull their weight—he’d make sure everyone could eat, he was fond of saying, but he’d be damned if he’d let anybody get fat.

Founding Date

825

Type

Guild, Professional

Leader

Poppy Bragg

Location

Freeport

Controlled Territories

• Longshoremen’s Union Headquaters