The small gathering in front of the hiring hall is quiet, but focused on pinning down a job on the waterfront for the day, either at the sprawling Port of Long Beach or Port of Los Angeles.

The part-timers, known as casuals, have been following the routine for years, patient but hopeful that they will one day be hired into a lucrative full-time longshore job.

These days, however, many of the casuals are also busy organizing their ranks to have a stronger voice in the hiring effort.

“We’re not just a bunch of crying casuals,” said Tony Cortez, a veteran part-time longshoreman.

Casuals are organizing their efforts because of frustration over the alleged resistance by the Pacific Maritime Association, the hiring agent for the terminals and ship companies, to move forward on requests to hire full-time workers given that there are more than 400 jobs a day coming to the casual hall for the past three years.

PMA would like to “exploit” part-time laborers to avoid paying more benefits to workers should they become full-time, the casuals assert.

“If the PMA does not address the casual workers issue soon, this could threaten the movement of cargo through the ports,” Cortez said.

PMA spokesman Wade Gates said the number of registered workers are reasonable based on the current cargo volumes.

“The PMA and ILWU work together to maintain a balanced approach on the number of registered workers needed at the ports, based on projected cargo volumes,” he said. “Obviously, too many positions dilute the work opportunities for individual registered workers.”

The number of registered workers is based on projected cargo volumes, which are growing very slowly at only 1 or 2 percent per year, he said.

“There currently are approximately 4,000 workers on the local registered list, which is augmented by a much smaller number of “casual” workers — who are not obligated to work, but can make themselves available for dispatch as needs arise,” he said.

Organizers for the casuals say their fight will be difficult, and there’s a possibility that the labor dispute could spill over on the waterfront, perhaps crippling its operations.

Since February, the part-time casuals have been organizing their efforts through a grass-roots campaign, staging various protests at the PMA office in downtown Long Beach on June 24, July 8 and July 16. On Feb. 22, hundreds of casuals staged a work boycott on the waterfront.

Casual longshore workers collectively decided to take the days off in protest to unfair hiring practices, unfair treatment, and denying of benefits to workers from promotions to full-time status, organizers said.

The full-time hiring of 250 casuals was requested by Local 13, but denied by PMA.

More than 100 casuals did not support the protest and entered the Dispatch Hall and took a job. However, an estimated 300 jobs in the two ports were not filled.

“Essentially, that day, half of the Los Angeles/Long Beach harbors were shut down,” said Cortez.

The casuals boycott prompted a PMA protest.

An arbitrator for PMA issued the following warning: “Locals 13, and 63, and the PMA do not condone or support the job action taken by LA/LB casual workforce,” adding that workers could be “fully disciplined,” including being banned from the hiring hall.

However, the casuals are planning to shoot back with a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board, saying their actions are protected under federal labor law.

“Because of this threatening and discriminatory letter forbidding concerted activity, casual workers … work in fear … for taking part in protected group activity for our past group activity and for future protected group activity,” a draft of the comlaint says.

The part-time workers, the casuals assert, are not bound by the no-strike or work-stoppage clause in the collective bargaining agreement between the PMA and ILWU.

“As casual employees, work is not guaranteed by the employer, and we are not obligated to take work when it is offered for any reason,” the complaint adds.

On July 20, about 75 casuals gathered at the Harry Bridges Institute in San Pedro, where they were told the push for full-time work would require a solid front.

Mike Sanchez of San Pedro said he’s been hunting for a full-time job on the waterfront for nine years, requiring sacrifices among a family of five.

“There’s still no light at the end of the tunnel,” the frustrated father said.

Nicholas Lourakis of San Pedro has also has been on the hunt for full-time work, both at the waterfront and at his part-time math teaching job.

“Part-time labor is surpassing full-time work,” he said.

Any success on the docks will be pricey, Lourakis said.

“They will just let us go,” he said.

Staff writer Karen Robes Meeks contributed to this report.