Union protests new grain export terminal

An International Longshore and Warehouse Union protest at the Port of Longview, Washington, continued in its third week, with picketers demonstrating in front of the EGT grain export terminal over the company’s contract with another union.

The EGT grain export terminal is a joint venture of Bunge North America, ITOCHU, and STX Pan Ocean at the Port of Longview, Washington.  Scheduled to be completed later this year, the facility will be capable of holding four 110-car unit trains at any given time.  The facility will include a highly efficient shuttle train unloading system as well as the capability to unload barges from the Columbia River.  When it is fully operational, the facility will be able to handle more than eight million metric tons annually.

The port authority designated a specific area for the picketers and limited the number of demonstrators, and the union is abiding by the restrictions, said Ken O’Hollaren, the port’s executive director.

The ILWU, which represents longshoremen at West Coast ports, resists any attempt to infringe upon its jurisdiction.  The union was negotiating a contract with EGT but the talks broke down.

EGT announced last week it had reached an agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers to man the facility.

The port supports the ILWU and has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Tacoma seeking a summary judgment recognizing the port’s working agreement with the ILWU.  That case is expected to be heard in September.

BNSF Railway last week attempted to send a train carrying grain to the EGT facility for a test run, but BNSF diverted the train to another port because of the ILWU picketers. BNSF has not attempted to send another train to the facility, O’Hollaren said.

Source: Journal of Commerce