ILWU and EGT reach tentative agreement over controversial Longview grain terminal

26 Jan 2012 - Cargo volumes and throughput, Grain, Port Planning, Ports

Longview's long running labor dispute could finally have come to an end. Image: Sam Beebe | Wikimedia Commons

Longview's long running labor dispute could finally have come to an end. Image: Sam Beebe | Wikimedia Commons

  • Washington governor steps in to broker deal, which could bring an end to long running labor dispute

Longview’s controversial new terminal could finally begin exporting grain after a tentative agreement was reached between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and EGT.

Washington Governor Chris Gregorie stepped in to help broker the deal, which could finally bring to an end one of the longest running labor disputes in recent years at ports on the US West Coast.

“I asked EGT and ILWU to come together in a good faith effort to overcome their difference. Both parties should be commended for their willingness to work together and compromise,” said Gregorie.

A statement released by the office of the Washington governor however, does not stipulate whether a contractual agreement has been reached, but EGT’s CEO, Larry Clarke, claims that “pending legal matters between the parties and the Port of Longview.”

Last year, the decision by EGT to use an alternative union rather than the ILWU to operate the terminal, was met with fierce criticism by the ILWU, who are contracted to work at Longview Port. The ILWU vented their frustration with a number of organized demonstrations in Longview; this included the blockage of a BNSF train into the port, which resulted in the arrest of ILWU members and their wives.

Members of both the Port of Longview and the ILWU remain adamant that the ILWU has the legal right to provide dockworkers with employment at the port, as it has for over 80 years.

If the EGT had been successful with their efforts in appointing an alternative union, the Longview grain terminal would have been the only facility in the whole Pacific North West that was not ILWU operated.

According to Ken O’Hollaren, Longview Port’s Executive Director, the infrastructure is in place for the new grain terminal to begin operations as soon as the tentative agreement is finalized.
 

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