Pacific Northwest port labor dispute settled, grain inspections resume
August 12, 2014 | 06:02 PM
The Pacific Northwest Grain Companies and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have reached a tentative agreement in their labor conflict and Washington state inspectors have resumed grain inspections at the Port of Vancouver.
The labor agreement was reached just before midnight Monday, Scot L. Beckenbaugh, acting director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a notice on the FMCS website. It is between the ILWU and United Grain, which has its terminal in the Port of Vancouver, Louis Dreyfus, which has terminals in the Port of Seattle and on the Willamette River in Oregon and Columbia Grain, which has a terminal in the Port of Portland. Only the Port of Vancouver had been essentially closed by a lack of grain inspection.
“After engaging in difficult and contentious bargaining for over two years, including multiple marathon mediation sessions held under the auspices of the FMCS, the announcement of the tentative agreement, subject to the ratification of ILWU membership, represents an amazing achievement of a potentially positive outcome in a labor dispute that has gained national attention," Beckenbaugh said in statement.
“The ILWU, with its recommendation, will submit the tentative agreement to its members for ratification," he added.
Patrick McCormick, the spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association, declined to comment on the terms of the contract, but said “it is a relief to be able to get the grain moving at this time of the year” and that the companies are grateful for negotiating efforts on both sides.
McCormick said that inspections had resumed at the United Grain Company terminal in the Port of Vancouver, and Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., also announced the inspectors would return. The ILWU had been locked out of the Port of Vancouver, and the inspectors said they considered crossing the picket line to do their work to be unsafe.
United Grain had asked the Agriculture Department to send in federal grain inspectors to replace the withdrawn Washington state inspectors, but USDA last week criticized the safety situation at the port.
The Pacific Northwest terminals are particularly important for Montana, Oregon and Washington.
▪ Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service — Statement on Tentative Agreement Between the ILWU and Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers ▪ Tri-City Herald — Grain inspections resume at Port of Vancouver ▪ The Columbian — Port of Vancouver faulted in grain-inspection dispute
The labor agreement was reached just before midnight Monday, Scot L. Beckenbaugh, acting director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a notice on the FMCS website. It is between the ILWU and United Grain, which has its terminal in the Port of Vancouver, Louis Dreyfus, which has terminals in the Port of Seattle and on the Willamette River in Oregon and Columbia Grain, which has a terminal in the Port of Portland. Only the Port of Vancouver had been essentially closed by a lack of grain inspection.
“After engaging in difficult and contentious bargaining for over two years, including multiple marathon mediation sessions held under the auspices of the FMCS, the announcement of the tentative agreement, subject to the ratification of ILWU membership, represents an amazing achievement of a potentially positive outcome in a labor dispute that has gained national attention," Beckenbaugh said in statement.
“The ILWU, with its recommendation, will submit the tentative agreement to its members for ratification," he added.
Patrick McCormick, the spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association, declined to comment on the terms of the contract, but said “it is a relief to be able to get the grain moving at this time of the year” and that the companies are grateful for negotiating efforts on both sides.
McCormick said that inspections had resumed at the United Grain Company terminal in the Port of Vancouver, and Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., also announced the inspectors would return. The ILWU had been locked out of the Port of Vancouver, and the inspectors said they considered crossing the picket line to do their work to be unsafe.
United Grain had asked the Agriculture Department to send in federal grain inspectors to replace the withdrawn Washington state inspectors, but USDA last week criticized the safety situation at the port.
The Pacific Northwest terminals are particularly important for Montana, Oregon and Washington.
▪ Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service — Statement on Tentative Agreement Between the ILWU and Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers ▪ Tri-City Herald — Grain inspections resume at Port of Vancouver ▪ The Columbian — Port of Vancouver faulted in grain-inspection dispute
