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Early this morning ILWU striking longshoremen raised the stakes. That takes some serious ‘wrecking balls’ in this day and age. The official report goes something like this, at least these are the more frequently occurring words in the favored order: overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.
Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. PT (7:30 a.m. ET) and smashed windows in the guard shack, he said.
No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested.
Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union believes it has the right to work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that's staffing a workforce using other union laborers.
The train was the first grain shipment to arrive at Longview. It arrived Wednesday night after police arrested 19 demonstrators who tried to block the tracks earlier that day.
The demonstrators were led by ILWU International President Robert McEllrath, straight from the West Coast ILWU headquarters in San Francisco. McEllrath said they would return. McEllrath was among those detained Wednesday. Today, the Longshoremen's union is investigating reports of a wildcat strike at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
Union officials are trying to sort out what is happening at the two Washington ports and were not sure on Thursday morning if the strike is related to union activity in Longview.
Longshoremen in Seattle and Tacoma appear to have taken action on their own. Just how many workers are involved and to what extent the apparent wildcat action has spread is a question.
The Longview blockade “appeared” to defy a federal restraining order issued last week against the union after it was accused of assaults and death threats.
EGT chief executive Larry Clarke said it was unfortunate that law enforcement needed to make arrests. Sure, Larry…you called them in…
- KBOO