Labor That Can Stop a City
The Dockhand Union Collective is the beating heart of Harborline.
If anything enters or leaves Commonwealth City—food, raw materials, people, data cores, replacement parts—dockhands touch it.
They are not executives.
They are not technocrats.
They are workers with leverage so absolute that no one can afford to pretend otherwise.
The City does not run without Harborline.
Harborline does not run without the dockhands.
The Collective formed during the earliest post-corporate transition, when automated logistics systems failed repeatedly under real-world conditions. AI could optimize routes—but not adapt fast enough to human chaos, mechanical failure, or political pressure.
Dockworkers organized first for safety.
Then for scheduling control.
Then for collective bargaining against “temporary emergency overrides” that never seemed to expire.
By the time the City realized what was happening, the Union already operated as a unified labor federation spanning every major logistics function.
It was never outlawed.
Outlawing it would have collapsed the City within a week.
The Dockhand Union Collective is operationally unified but politically fragmented.
Citywide labor charter
Sector-based representatives
Rotating leadership councils
Mandatory strike coordination protocols
Once a strike vote passes, everyone moves together.
Individual ideology ends at the loading ramp.
Solidarity is survival
Scabs are not forgiven
Outsiders don’t understand leverage until it’s applied
Paperwork is as important as muscle
Dockhands are not reckless.
They know exactly how close to the edge they can push the City without tipping it over.
The Union does not issue threats.
It announces safety concerns.
Cargo inspections slow
Shift rotations shorten
Manual checks replace automation
“Temporary pauses” ripple outward
The effect is immediate and cascading:
Food distribution delays
Transit congestion
Manufacturing slowdowns
Export backlogs
Nothing breaks.
Everything stalls.
And the City listens.
Among working citizens, the Dockhand Union is respected—even admired.
They are seen as proof that labor still matters in a system that pretends automation solved everything.
Among technocrats and administrators, the Union is viewed as dangerous.
Not violent.
Not criminal.
Just capable of saying no.
Media narratives oscillate:
“Essential workers defending safety”
“Irresponsible labor extremists”
“Foreign agents exploiting logistics choke points”
The truth depends on who is being inconvenienced.
Civic Systems Authority (CSA): Constant tension. The CSA models efficiency; dockhands enforce reality.
The Assembly Secretariat: Procedural sparring partners. Laws are debated while cargo waits.
The Open Ledger: Uneasy coexistence. Some dockhands cooperate quietly. Others despise them.
Maintenance Corps: Mutual respect. Both know what breaks first.
External Interests: Constant infiltration attempts. Rarely successful.
Players encounter the Dockhand Union when labor becomes the plot.
A strike threatens citywide shortages
Evidence surfaces of sabotage disguised as safety failure
External powers attempt to fracture Union solidarity
A single dock sector refuses to follow a strike order
A Union leader disappears before a critical vote
Players may:
Mediate between labor and technocrats
Investigate “accidental” infrastructure failures
Protect Union organizers from external pressure
Exploit logistics choke points—or prevent others from doing so
The Union respects people who show up, work honestly, and don’t lie about leverage.
They despise posturing.
The Collective is united—but not unanimous.
Traditionalists believe labor must never become political
Radicals want to use Harborline to force systemic change
Pragmatists just want safe conditions and fair treatment
These disagreements surface during crisis votes.
Once a decision is made, dissent stops.
That discipline is the Union’s true strength.
The Dockhand Union Collective does not seek power.
It already has it.
Their strength lies in something the City cannot automate, regulate, or algorithmically replace:
People who refuse to move until they are treated as more than numbers.
When the dockhands stop working, the City does not fall.
It holds its breath.
And waits.