Northwest labor press., March 15, 2013, Image 1

Inside
MEETING
NOTICES
See
Page 4
Volume 114
Number 6
March 15, 2013
Portland
Foreign-owned grain company locks out Longshore #4
VANCOUVER — The Interna-
tional Longshore and Warehouse
Union (ILWU) Local 4 has filed an un-
fair labor practice charge against Mit-
sui-United Grain for the company’s
lockout of its workforce at the Port of
Vancouver that began Feb. 27.
United Grain Corporation, a sub-
sidiary of the Japanese conglomerate
Mitsui, said through a spokesman that
it took the action after an internal in-
vestigation showed sabotage by a
member of the union bargaining team.
The ULP charge was filed March 4
at the National Labor Relation Board’s
Region 19 office in Seattle. The basis
of the charge includes the union’s as-
sertion that Mitsui-United Grain “took
the extreme measure of locking out its der those employer terms.
A third member of the employer
entire bargaining unit even though by
its own statements it had identified and group, TEMCO LLC, broke ranks and
terminated the employee allegedly re- kept the old contract terms in place af-
sponsible for the property damage [that ter the contract expired, and then nego-
the company claimed took place on tiated a separate “interim” agreement
Dec. 22 — five days before its unilat- covering its three grain terminals in
Portland, Kalama,
eral implementation of
and Tacoma. That
its final offer.] This con-
agreement was
stituted loss of employ-
ratified by ILWU
ment based on anti-union
Locals 4, 8, 19,
animus, and a sweeping
21, and 23 and
unilateral change of
was announced
terms and conditions of
Feb. 27.
employment.”
TEMCO is a
In a press release,
joint
venture
ILWU called the com-
owned by Cargill
pany’s allegations of sab-
and CHS, Inc.,
otage “fabricated” and
which are U.S.
“an excuse to do what
companies based
they’ve wanted to do all
in Minnesota.
along, which is to lock
“The United
workers out instead of
C AGER C LABAUGH States
is a major
reach a fair agreement
P RESIDENT ILWU #4 supplier of grains
with them.”
to the world, and
United Grain was a
the export facili-
party to a collective bar-
gaining agreement between ILWU and ties in Portland, Tacoma, and Kalama
the multi-employer Pacific Northwest are important export terminals to serve
Grain Handlers Association. But that those markets,” said Paul Butters, gen-
contract expired Sept. 29, 2012. ILWU eral manager of TEMCO in a press
members continued to work, without a statement. “We appreciate the con-
structive approach that the ILWU lead-
contract.
On Dec. 22, United Grain and two ership provided in reaching this agree-
other members of the employer group ment, which is good for U.S. farmers
— Louis Dreyfus Commodities and and global customers who seek U.S.
Columbia Grain — imposed the terms products.”
Though it has a five-year term, the
of their final offer, after ILWU mem-
bers rejected them in a vote the union contract is described as an interim
reported as 93.8 percent opposed. agreement because it’s “subject to
ILWU members continued to work un- modification to reflect an eventual fi-
nal agreement between the ILWU and
the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers
Association.”
Neither side would divulge details
of the interim agreement.
At a rally March 8 at Esther Short
of the funding.
Park in downtown Vancouver, ILWU
Oregon’s HB 2800 includes a num- International President Robert McEll-
ber of “buy America” requirements rath — with the TEMCO contract in
that will ensure goods manufactured in hand — led a crowd of approximately
the United States are used to construct 500 people to personally deliver it to
the bridge. Provisions to utilize ap- United Grain’s office a few blocks
prenticeship training programs are also away. When they arrived, doors to the
included.
building were locked. After a lengthy
In addition to construction jobs, the round of chanting, a Vancouver police
economic impacts from replacing the officer offered to deliver it to the com-
bridge and improving the interchanges pany, which he did.
will result in the creation of 4,200 jobs
Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers
and $231 million in additional wages Association spokesperson Pat Mc-
in 2030, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber Cormick told the Labor Press United
said in a press release.
Kitzhaber signed the bill March 12.
(Turn to Page 6)
‘They want to
take our union
protection,
and that’s it;
eliminate our
voice from the
workplace.’
Cager Clabaugh (right), president of ILWU Local 4 in Vancouver, addressed a crowd March 8 at Esther Short Park
in Vancouver. Longshore workers were locked out of their jobs Feb. 27 by Japanese-owed Mitsui-United Grain.
ILWU Local 4 members have loaded grain and other cargo at the Port of Vancouver since 1934.
Oregon Legislature says ‘Build the Bridge!’
SALEM — The Oregon Senate
voted 18-11 on March 4 to approve a
bill authorizing $450 million in bond
funding to help pay for the I-5 Bridge
Replacement Project, also known as
the Columbia River Crossing.
The Oregon House of Representa-
tives approved the measure, HB 2800,
last month. The vote in that chamber
was 45-11, with 30 Democrats and 15
Republicans supporting the bill.
Four Senate Republicans joined 14
Democrats to pass the bill. Sen. Jackie
Dingfelder of Portland was the lone
Democrat in opposition.
“This represents a major milestone
for the I-5 Bridge Replacement project
that will create thousands of construc-
tion jobs in Oregon,” said John Mohlis,
executive secretary of the Oregon State
Building and Construction Trades
Council. “Now all eyes are on the
Washington Legislature.”
The $3.4 billion project would re-
place the I-5 bridge with a new span
and light rail and improve interchanges
from Portland to Vancouver.
Oregon’s portion of the funding for
the next two years will come from ex-
isting funds in the Oregon Department
of Transportation budget. Legislators
placed a number of safeguards on the
project so that bonds will only be sold
when a specific set of criteria are met.
Those criteria include commitments
from Washington State and the federal
government to pay for their share of
the project, and the completion of an
investment grade analysis by the state
treasurer.
The federal government won’t ap-
propriate funds until both Oregon and
Washington commit $450 million each
to the project. The project also must
win approval from the U.S. Coast
Guard.
The Washington Legislature is still
debating how it will approve its share