The Port of Longview and longshore union won an important round in their ongoing battle with the EGT grain terminal Friday, but a decision about whether the union is legally entitled to work there still is months away.
U.S. District Court Judge Ronald B. Leighton ruled that the port’s working agreement with union longshore workers applies at the EGT grain terminal. However, he stopped short of saying it obligates EGT to hire members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
In effect, he kicked the issue down the road, saying the matter should be put to a federal labor arbitrator.