Unions endorse oil distribution center proposal in Vancouver
Construction unions will sign
a project labor agreement
with Vancouver Energy on
the $210 million project
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Major
construction unions in Southwest
Washington and Oregon have endorsed
the proposed crude oil distribution ter-
minal at the Port of Vancouver and
reached an agreement with Vancouver
Energy to ensure the project is built
with union labor.
The Columbia Pacific Building
Trades Council, the Pacific Northwest
Regional Council of Carpenters, and
Operating Engineers Local 701 are
partnering with Vancouver Energy on
the project, which is expected to create
thousands of jobs through the construc-
tion and operation of a $210 million
crude oil loading and unloading facility.
The labor organizations and Vancou-
ver Energy agreed that project labor
agreements (PLAs) will be in place for
construction of the facility, assuring it
will be built with union workers.
“This project creates great family-
wage jobs, fuels our economy and pro-
motes energy independence,” said Willy
Myers, executive secretary of the Co-
lumbia Pacific Building Trades Coun-
cil. “We agree that transportation of
HOLIDAY PARTY DONATIONS NEEDED
Labor’s Community Service Agency
(LCSA) and the Northwest Oregon La-
bor Council (NOLC) are accepting do-
nations of toys and cash for the 18th an-
nual Presents from Partners Holiday
Toy Party. The event — for families of
unemployed union members and those
facing temporary hardships — will be
held in mid-December at the Sheet
Metal Workers Local 16 Hall in North-
east Portland. Entrance is by ticket only.
Members must be referred by their lo-
cal. Referral forms will be sent to
unions and must be returned to LCSA
by Dec. 9.
Toy donations also will be accepted
through Dec. 9. Toys can be dropped off
at the following locations:
• IBEW and United Workers Fed-
eral Credit Union, or the Northwest
Oregon Labor Council (Suite 305), or
LCSA (Suite 211). All of the offices are
located in the same building at 9955 SE
Washington St., Portland.
• Oregon AFL-CIO, 3645 SE 32nd
Ave., Portland.
• Portland Jobs with Justice, 1500
NE Irving St., Suite 585, Portland.
• Office and Professional Employees
Local 11, 3815 Columbia St., Vancou-
ver, Wash.
• American Federation of Teachers-
Oregon, 10228 SW Capitol Hwy, Port-
land.
• Any Sunrise Dental location.
Cash donations can be sent to
LCSA, 9955 SE Washington, #211,
Portland, Ore., 97216.
crude oil by rail and marine vessel to
and from the terminal can be accom-
plished in a safe, environmentally re-
sponsible manner, and Vancouver En-
ergy is committed to doing that. We’re
anxious to help them build it.”
Backers say the terminal will pro-
vide $2 billion in economic value to the
local and regional economy through la-
bor income and tax revenues during
construction and the first 15 years of op-
eration. They estimate more than 1,000
direct, indirect and induced jobs on av-
erage annually; 320 full-time construc-
tion jobs and 616 direct on-site and off-
site operations jobs, including 176 jobs
on-site at the terminal and sourced from
the local area; $22 million in state and
local taxes during construction; and
$7.8 million in tax revenue annually
once fully operational.
“This is great — Southwest Wash-
ington needs these jobs and the eco-
nomic benefits will flow to the entire re-
gion,” said Lee Newgent, executive sec-
retary of the Washington State Building
and Construction Trades Council.
“With all the uncertainty in the world,
especially in countries that have been
major sources of oil, this is also an es-
sential infrastructure project to increase
our country’s economic security and en-
ergy independence.”
“We’re impressed with Vancouver
Energy’s commitment to safety and the
specific safety elements to be built and
designed into the facility and its opera-
tion,” said Nelda Wilson, business man-
ager of Operating Engineers, Local 701.
“Employing a safety-trained, skilled
workforce and utilizing a full array of
safeguards, including only newer and
safer model rail cars, will help make
this a great project for working men and
women, their families, and local com-
munities.”
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Com-
pany LLC and Savage Companies
formed a joint venture — Vancouver
Energy — to develop, own and operate
the terminal at the Port of Vancouver
that will transfer North American crude
oil from rail to ship, subject to regula-
tory approval. At full operation the ter-
minal would receive up to 360,000 bar-
rels of oil a day, which would be
transferred to West Coast refineries.
The project is currently being evalu-
ated by Washington’s Energy Facility
Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC),
which will produce a draft Environ-
mental Impact Statement for public re-
view. EFSEC required Vancouver En-
ergy to prepare a preliminary analyses
to address the range of potential im-
pacts, which the company submitted in
August and September.
Ultimately, EFSEC will submit a
recommendation on the project to
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who de-
cides whether Vancouver Energy
should receive a permit.
Grievance settled: AFSCME members will
write parking tickets in Portland Parks
The City of Portland has settled a
union grievance over who should write
parking tickets in Washington Park.
Last year, the City announced it would
install parking meters in the park and
assign park rangers working for the
Portland Parks Bureau to write tickets.
But AFSCME Local 189, which rep-
resents parking enforcement officers at
the Portland Bureau of Transportation,
filed a grievance saying that work
should be assigned to its members, who
make $24.94 an hour plus benefits —
not to park rangers who make about
half that amount. The rangers, though
represented by Laborers Local 483,
supported AFSCME’s argument in an
open letter to the City.
To resolve the dispute, an Oct. 15
hearing was scheduled before an arbi-
trator. But in late September, the two
sides worked out a settlement: The
Parks Bureau will hire 1.5 parking en-
forcement officers. They’ll be Local
189 members, and will be paid the same
scale as the other parking enforcement
officers. Until then, rangers will con-
tinue writing tickets, as they have since
the beginning of the year.
“It shows a willingness to look at
settlement outside of arbitration, and
I’m glad to see it,” said Oregon AF-
SCME representative Rob Wheaton,
who worked on the grievance.
Wheaton credited City Commis-
sioner Amanda Fritz, who’s in charge
of Parks, for the settlement.
Portland City Council was sched-
uled to approve the new hires on Nov. 5,
after this issue went to press.
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon
as a voice of the labor movement.
4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150,
Portland, Ore. 97213
Telephone: (503) 288-3311
Editor: Michael Gutwig
Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice
Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of
each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-
profit corporation owned by 19 unions and councils including the
Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 80 union organizations in Ore-
gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union
members.
Group rates available to trade union organizations.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID
AT PORTLAND, OREGON.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a
change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old
and new addresses and the name and number of your local union.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150,
PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150
NOVEMBER 7, 2014
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 3