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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2016)
10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016 Port: Animosity between private shippers, longshoremen Continued from Page 1A Representatives from the union and Astoria Forest Prod- ucts were mum on the dis- agreements when contacted by phone. “I don’t know that I want to deal with this issue in the paper,” said Chris Connaway, president of the union’s local chapter. “This is an internal issue.” Dave Daggett, the gen- eral manager for Astoria For- est Products, said he couldn’t make any comments either way, but added, “I think every- body in the community knows what Longshore in ports mean.” Clear jurisdiction, unclear contract The animosity between pri- vate shippers and longshore- men is well-chronicled, most recently by the nine-month standoff between the union DQGWKH3DFL¿F0DULWLPH$VVR ciation that backed up trade along the entire West Coast. 0RYHPHQWRIFDUJRDORQJWKH West Coast is governed by D O DERU FRQWUDFW UDWL¿HG IRU DQRWKHU¿YH\HDUVLQ0D\ “I had to get an attorney who specialized on ILWU con- tract negotiations to give me a clear understanding of who is right in this case,” Knight said, DGGLQJ WKH ODZ\HU FRQ¿UPHG the union has jurisdiction over Crews unload a log truck at Pier 1. oceangoing cargo moving between the piers. What’s not clear is the contract the Port signed with Westerlund Log Handlers in 2010, when the agency re-en- tered the log export market. Knight said the origi- nal contract, which the Port Commission voted to trans- IHU WR 0XUSK\ 2YHUVHDV 86$ and its subsidiary Astoria For- est Products nearly two years ago, doesn’t contain language obligating the company to use ghost riders. But Westerlund used the union longshoremen in the past, he said, setting a prece- dent that favors longshoremen. Knight is also worried about how once issues with the longshoreman and Asto- ULD )RUHVW 3URGXFWV ÀDUHG XS the company stopped working with the Port on a stormwater collection system the agency is planning for the entire central waterfront. With the company not wanting to work with long- shoremen or help on stormwa- ter treatment, he said, “that’s not comporting with their long-term goal of developing Pier 3.” Buy the trucks? Developing Pier 3 into a dedicated operation for pro- But the goal of developing Pier 3 remains expensive and far-off. During Westerlund’s time at the Port, the company used a log yard in Lewis and Clark and drove logs directly to Pier 1 for export, eliminat- ing the need for ghost riders. Westerlund also had a separate trucking company. When Astoria Forest Prod- ucts took over, it moved stor- age and processing to property it leases on Pier 3, creating the need for ghost riders to move oceangoing cargo across Port property. Hunsinger said either the Port or Astoria Forest Prod- ucts should buy or lease a few log trucks and have longshore- men drive them. Knight also said the Port or company buying the trucks could be an answer, albeit one that should have been found ZKHQWKH3RUW¿UVWVLJQHGDFRQ tract with Westerlund. He said Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian the Port is also looking into whether so-called “yard hus- tlers” — an abbreviated version cessing and exporting logs has of a truck used for moving cargo long been the goal for Wester- around docks — would be legal lund and Astoria Forest Prod- to drive down streets. ³,QWKH3RUWRI2O\PSLDZH ucts since it took over. “I think it would resolve the were the operator,” Knight said issue in a heartbeat,” said Port of his former employer. “We Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, made it clear the p ort would pro- who was a longshoremen for vide equipment to move cargo 43 years, drove log trucks and and hire labor to move the cargo, is close enough to Astoria For- so the tenant knew that. Astoria est Products owner Dennis didn’t do any of that, they said, 0XUSK\ -U WR KDYH ZDWFKHG ‘W e want your business and ZH¶OO¿JXUHRXWWKHGHWDLOVODWHU¶´ 6XSHU%RZOZLWKKLP July 4: Close to 100,000 visited for holiday last year Continued from Page 1A “We want the people to come down here, respect what’s here and build a tradition and keep on coming back,” said 0DJHQ0LFKDXGRQHRIWKHJURXS¶VOHDGHUV Fourth of July 2015 Nearly 100,000 people visited the peninsula during the )RXUWKRI-XO\ODVW\HDUDFFRUGLQJWRVWDWH'HSDUWPHQWRI Transportation estimates. Even if the crowds are smaller in 2016, that won’t be enough to do away with the problems that presented them- VHOYHVD\HDUDJR0LFKDXGVDLG3UREOHPVOLNHLOOHJDOEHDFK camping, thousands of pounds of litter and raucous behavior ZHUHDOOLQIXOOIRUFHGXULQJWKHKROLGD\ “The same issues are there every year, it (was) just exac- erbated last year by how many more people there were, but the same things happen,” she said. Communication is key For the time being, one of the group’s most important goals is communication to potential visitors. Those efforts LQFOXGH RIIHULQJ D XQL¿HG PHVVDJH WKURXJKRXW WKH SHQLQ VXOD0LFKDXGVDLG “When visitors come here, they don’t think of us as 6HDYLHZ2FHDQ3DUN/RQJ%HDFK²WKH\WKLQNRILWDVWKH beach and so if they’re hearing one thing here and another thing here, they get confused and they tend not to do any- thing,” said Bonnie Lou Cozby, one of the group’s leaders. The group is partnering with personnel within Washing- WRQ6WDWH3DUNV¶FRPPXQLFDWLRQGHSDUWPHQWWRKHOSVSUHDG EO Media Group/File Photo the word to visitors , Cozby said. “That’s a huge investment on their part just right there, to A young woman watches fireworks from the top of a vehicle at dusk. Typically, safety conditions deteriorate after dark- ness falls and levels of inebriation rise. help get signage and posters out,” she said. 0HVVDJLQJHIIRUWVH[WHQGZHOOEH\RQGWKHSHQLQVXODDQG its residents — the group is reaching into media markets in 6HDWWOHDQG3RUWODQGWRVHWH[SHFWDWLRQVIRUZKDWZLOODQG won’t be allowed on the peninsula during the holiday week- end, said group member Vicki Vanneman. “We need to change the expectations and let people know that the existing regulations are going to be enforced, but do LWLQDSRVLWLYHZD\WKDW¶VVWLOOZHOFRPLQJ´0LFKDXGDGGHG Fireworks planning The group’s long-term goals including trimming down WKHGD\VZKHQ¿UHZRUNVDUHDOORZHGWREHVROGDQGVKRWRII Cozby said. 7KHFXUUHQWUHJXODWLRQVLQ3DFL¿F&RXQW\DOORZWKHPD[ LPXPWLPHWREX\DQGVHWRII¿UHZRUNV9DQQHPDQVDLG Part of the group’s efforts have gone to examining what other communities in the state have done , she said. &XWWLQJWKHGD\VZKHQ¿UHZRUNVDUHDYDLODEOHZRXOGEH a gradual process, Vanneman said. “We would ease into this, we would try it on for size and it would strictly be a proposal from our standpoint that would be presented to the county commissioners for their consideration,” she said. Visitors an residents from all age groups regard Fourth of July on the Long Beach Peninsula as a fun time. After last year’s partic- ularly chaotic nighttime revelry, locals began looking for better ways to ensure safety. EO Media Group File Photo Bob Duke/For EO Media Group An aerial photo looking north from the city of Long Beach, Wash. shows a long encampment stretching into the far distance during 2015 Independence Day celebrations. Local organizers hope to instill a culture of better awareness and compliance with fireworks and camping laws.
