Chapter 375: 376. Chapter 371: Disturbance at the Docks

376. Chapter 371: Disturbance at the Docks

Inside the Dock Management Company's office located in the city center, the directors gathered together, chatting.

Several bottles of wine worth hundreds of dollars were set out on the table, along with various other drinks and pastries.

A few directors seemed to be talking about something particularly interesting, each of them laughing boisterously in an exaggerated manner, seemingly not at all nervous about the strike at the docks.

Edward (the son of one of the directors) sat next to his father, watching the people here indulging in their conversation and laughter, feeling an indescribable sense of absurdity.

"They aren't nervous at all about the situation at the docks," he said to his father.

In truth, he himself had no qualifications to attend the board meeting, but out of consideration for his father being a director, and because he would very likely inherit his father's shares in the future, he was permitted to attend this small meeting.

Those directors who were serious and rigid outside showed a completely different side here than what people usually perceived; they could also be unbridled, speaking and laughing loudly without much politeness.

They also made noises while drinking or eating.

His father narrowed his eyes slightly, his lips moving faintly, "Just a bunch of workers."

Including the old man himself, they actually didn't care much about the striking workers at the docks.

This wasn't their first strike, nor would it be their last; they didn't believe the strike by these people would bring any substantial harm to the company.

Edward didn't quite understand; he could only keep his mouth shut, but he felt that the lack of importance these people placed on the striking groups could potentially lead to some trouble.

"In these next few days, we will have our first round of negotiations with those company representatives," the board chairman said after laughing for a while, starting today's topic.

The others quieted down, looking at him.

"Our bottom line is to first increase by at least seven percent, preferably striving for around ten percent."

"Then, the price for various annual service fees will increase by no less than three to four percent. This way, our profit margin will be further expanded. Aside from the new expenditures brought about by wage increases, our annual operating profit will increase significantly."

A reserved smile appeared on his face, "This will help our stock market value continue to rise; the market likes profit points that grow steadily!"

One director was somewhat worried, "They might not necessarily agree."

Another director laughed and said, "Then let the strike continue; they are more anxious than we are!"

As he spoke, he raised the wine glass in his hand, "This city can lose those workers, and it can replace a batch of merchants, but it cannot do without us!"

The directors raised their glasses with unmasked arrogance, accompanied by their laughter, and this scene made Edward feel exceptionally absurd!

He couldn't understand it; perhaps this was the reason his father always thought he was still "a little lacking"—he wasn't a pure capitalist.

He couldn't ask the other directors, so he could only ask his father in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid that if you push the workers too far, something unexpected will happen?"

His father glanced at him sideways, "If a lion is pushed too far, it will eat people, but what will happen if workers are pushed too far?"

He revealed a trace of a smile, "They can only strike!"

He waved his hand, "Put away your worries; they are far safer than you imagine."

Someone suddenly asked him, "What are you and Edward talking about?"

The old man said with a smile, "We were discussing some other matters."

Edward also squeezed out a smile, which served as a perfunctory dismissal.

As the few were talking and laughing, the board's full-time secretary suddenly walked in from outside the door, walking on tiptoe.

He closed the door, walked to the board chairman's side while slightly hunched over, said something in his ear with a serious expression, and then retreated two steps while still hunched over before straightening up.

The board chairman immediately frowned, "Apologies, gentlemen, I need to leave for a while."

The rotating executive director asked, "Do you need our help?"

He asked very cleverly; he couldn't directly ask the board chairman, "What happened?"—what if it were the other party's private matter?

But he could use "Can we help?" as a way to probe, which was also a gesture of his willingness to help.

The Dock Management Company did not have a position like "President"; specific work at the docks was handled by managers, and the board of directors had a rotating executive director.

They rotated every three years, and everyone had the opportunity to become the rotating executive director. The person in this position could comprehensively preside over the company's daily work arrangements and all other affairs.

Except for content that required a vote by the board of directors, he could make decisions on everything else himself.

However, even so, every rotating executive director would still frequently convene board meetings, just to avoid deviations in development due to individual judgment problems.

No change in expression could be seen on the board chairman's face; he was silent for a while, "Something happened at the docks."

As he spoke, he tucked in his hem with one hand, bowed slightly—perhaps at an angle of only three to five degrees—and then turned and left.

The other directors were all stunned for a moment; what could happen at the docks?

Edward's father's expression became slightly solemn; he glanced at Edward again, signaling him to go find out.

Edward then stood up, and the other directors themselves, or their secretaries, also began to stand up and walk toward the outside of the room.

He arrived in an independent small room; there was a sofa set here, a bar, and inside there was also wine and other things.

Beside the conference rooms of many large companies, there were such small rooms, which could be called lounges, and in some places, they were also called VIP rooms.

They could discuss some relatively private matters here during meeting breaks.

Edward picked up the phone; the manager's office number wouldn't go through—he didn't know if someone was on the line or if it was some other reason.

Afterward, he dialed his own office phone; his office was right at the docks.

By utilizing the Dock Management Company, Edward had indeed made some money over these years; some people were born at the finish line, which was exactly what described him.

He could get some resources from the docks and do nothing, just turn around and sell them, and he could make a lot of money—not to mention if he managed them himself, he could only earn more!

The call was quickly connected; the person answering was his company manager, "What happened at the docks?"

"I'm not sure, sir, I'll go find out."

"As soon as possible, don't hang up the phone."

He sat there, lighting a cigarette; he was closer to those people at the docks than the management company's board of directors.

So he never felt that the docks would be easy to manage; once any problem was reported, it would expand rapidly.

By the time he had almost finished smoking a cigarette, and had looked at his watch twice with some dissatisfaction, there was finally sound from the receiver.

The manager's voice was somewhat panicked, "They're fighting!"

Upon hearing this, Edward felt his scalp go slightly numb, "Who is fighting whom?"

"The Dock Management Company's security guards and some workers; the specific situation isn't very clear, but now both sides are fighting downstairs at the company building, it's very chaotic. I was in a hurry to come back and tell you this, so I don't know much."

Edward sighed; the thing he least wanted to happen had happened.

"Arrange for someone to find out what exactly is going on, and keep the phone line open at all times."

He stood up and quickly returned to the conference room, sitting beside his father, "The security guards and workers have clashed, and the situation is expanding."

The others had also found out what happened through their own channels; almost all of them, like Edward, utilized this advantage of their status to let their family members make money at the port.

Anyway, it was all making money for others; this was like the warehouses at the docks—since they were all rented out, wasn't it the same no matter who they were rented to?

But in fact, it was different, because their relatives got the warehouses and then sublet them, which provided extra profit, but everyone was doing it.

Soon, the conference room became lively, and the board chairman also returned from outside, "They have put forward three demands."

"First, reduce daily labor time to ten hours."

"Second, lunch must have more meat and egg products."

"Third, increase everyone's wages by at least one dollar and seventy-five cents."

The entire conference room was in an uproar; basically, all the directors opposed these three points. Reducing working hours, increasing lunch expenditures, and raising wages—these invisible changes actually allowed each worker to gain more than one dollar and seventy-five cents in benefits; of course, they couldn't agree!

The board chairman looked at everyone, "Now we have two choices."

"First, suppress the situation, negotiate with them, and set about solving the problem."

"Or, suppress them first."

One director immediately said, "If we agree to their demands as soon as they make a fuss, even if it's just a temporary negotiation, I can already imagine how difficult our work will be in the future."

"We can give them a wage increase, but reducing working hours and increasing benefits won't work; they can only choose one."

"Call Charlie."

The board chairman looked at the others, and the others also expressed their opinions one after another, agreeing to suppress the matter first and then set about solving it.

They had to appear tougher; only then could they grasp the initiative in the labor-capital confrontation.

The board chairman looked at the executive director, who revealed a humble smile on his face, but in his heart, he didn't have a single kind word.

He went directly to the room next door, came out quickly, and returned to his own seat, "Charlie says he will get this done soon."

The board chairman nodded his chin reservedly, "Then let us continue discussing the fee issues..."

In their view, this might just be a small matter.

The Dock Management Company was one of the important local power representatives in the Bay Area, and many large capitalists participated in it. Charlie didn't dare to be negligent and hurriedly made a call to Hunter, asking him to mobilize manpower to the docks to resolve the dispute.

Now the whole city was chaotic; the City Police Department couldn't mobilize so many people on its own, so he could only ask each branch to provide a portion of the manpower.

This also included the Imperial Branch; in fact, he requested that the Imperial Branch provide the most people, because the public security within the Imperial District at this time was one of the best districts.

Before setting out, Branch Chief Bulu made a call to Lanse, explaining the situation, and then began to arrange the police deployment.

He warned those police officers that it was enough to stand outside for a while, but they must not go in.

Although he didn't know why they must not go in, he knew there must be a reason.

The disturbance at the docks was gradually evolving into a riot; now many dock workers didn't know how it had started either—they only knew that the Dock Management Company was attacking their fellow workers and was trying to suppress the strike!

In an instant, the already angry workers were no longer silent; they began to actively attack the management company, and some workers' greedy desires were released!

In fact, the worker representatives hadn't talked to them about the idea of taking things from the warehouses; they didn't need to say anything at all—these workers had already started doing it actively!

They were very familiar with the docks and knew which warehouses or containers had good things; they had specialized tools, and opening those containers was like child's play.

The security guards had to protect the office building and the staff inside while also trying to solve the theft problem; the conflict between the two sides was also constantly intensifying.

As a large number of police cars arrived at the port area, Branch Chief Bulu got out of the car, looked at the completely chaotic docks, took off his hat, and had a look of shock on his face!

Everywhere there were workers and security guards "fighting"; they were beating each other in groups of three or five, and everywhere there were greetings expressing the desire to be the other person's father.

Branch Chief Bulu stood at the dock entrance, looking at the others, looking blank, "What should we do?"

Hunter was also here; he wasn't the chief yet, and at the same time, he had discussed this issue with Charlie. He had to appear more authoritative so it would be easier for him to better control the entire New Jincheng police system later.

For him, the Bay Area's instructions were everything!

He straightened his wide-brimmed police hat, which represented justice, and the police badge reflected the brilliance of technology under the streetlights.

"What are your batons for?"

"After separating them, control these workers."

One police officer asked, "What if they resist?"

Hunter stomped his foot, "If he hits you, won't you hit back?"

As he spoke, he emphasized, "You can use batons, use other weapons, but remember, don't shoot!"

"Whoever shoots will bear the consequences!"

There were too many workers at the docks; once "blood is seen from shooting," it would only make the situation more out of control—that would be a nightmare!

Although it was said that the people who could decide whether he would truly be the chief lived in the Bay Area, these workers also had ways to make him unable to be the chief, by sacrificing their lives!

Branch Chief Bulu took his people and actively chose a relatively distant area; he didn't want to cause trouble. These people were in a game between Lanse and these big shots; his body was too thin.

Even if he were just lightly pinched, they wouldn't be able to stand it.

Regarding Branch Chief Bulu's "escape," Hunter didn't say anything, just kept it in mind. After he took office, he would make all these disobedient people get out!

At this time, there were already a large number of reporters here; Qiaoni (a columnist for "Today's New Jincheng") had called over quite a few good friends from the media.

There were many national-level media outlets here, such as the "Federal Daily," "Federal Post," "Special Zone Post," and the like; these newspapers had a certain influence throughout the entire Federation and even the entire world!

For these reporters, what they feared most was that this society was becoming more and more civilized!

If there were no wars in the world, people were humble and polite, no unfriendly conflicts occurred, and everyone followed the law, then they would very likely all be unemployed.

So sometimes they were the people who most hoped for world chaos, because only in freedom and chaos could there be enough news to report, and they could reap fame and fortune!

As a large number of police officers began to enter, at first they would demand that the fighting sides separate, but when these people didn't listen to what they said, some police officers' tempers flared up.

They pressed the police officers to beat those workers, hitting them on the head, hitting them on the joints; they knew where it hurt the most!

With the addition of the police, the workers began to retreat—not because of how many police there were, but because they feared the skin the police wore!

The workers dared to confront the security guards, but they might not dare to confront the police, even though they were all people, and they all had one nose and two eyes.

Qiangni held a stick in his hand and knocked down a security guard; several workers ran over, "The police are here, helping them beat our people together."

Qiangni spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva; he had punched others a few times, in the face.

His cheek was broken, and now it was swollen; every time he opened his mouth, he would bite his cheek, which also caused the swollen area to become heavier and the wounds to become more numerous.

Qiangni looked at them, widened his eyes, and asked, "Are there more of them than us?"

Qiangni didn't know how many people were at the docks now, but there were definitely far more than the current security guards and police!

Unless all the police in New Jincheng came at this time, they wouldn't be able to control them at all.

The two workers who came shook their heads, "There aren't more of them than us."

Qiangni cursed and turned to walk outside, "Then what the hell are you afraid of?"

When he arrived at the outermost perimeter, some fellow workers had already been pressed to the ground; he suddenly rushed over, kicked a police officer away, and hit the other party with the stick in his hand!

Other workers saw that Qiangni was so brave; at this moment, when his whole body was filled with blood and courage, they also followed and rushed up!

The situation, which had been slightly controlled, was once again out of control, and the scene became even more chaotic!

At this time, Hunter, standing high behind the crowd, curled his lips, "Who is this person?"

The dock police officer beside him said, "This person is called Qiangni; he used to be a bully, and this strike disturbance was also caused by him."

Hunter nodded slightly, "He's a thorny character; are there others behind him?"

Looking at the dock police officer's hesitant appearance, Hunter knew that this matter might not be simple, "Who is it?"

The dock police belonged to the Port Branch, but they had specialized offices at the docks and were also managed by the City Police Department.

Under Hunter's gaze, he said that name.

"The Lanse family."

When a police officer was beaten down, people's fear of the police lost a lot, and because of the police's intervention, the situation at the docks became even more chaotic.

Hunter took the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it hard with his heel. He found a phone booth and dialed Charlie, who was waiting for news.

"It won't work without guns; they've started to fight back against us."

"And I feel that there is someone behind this matter playing tricks."

Charlie frowned, "Don't shoot; withdraw first, don't let the situation spread." He paused, "Who is that person you mentioned?"

"Lanse..." ===== CHAPTER 376 =====