An ILWU Local 4 longshore worker supports ILWU Local 21 by demonstrating for good union jobs near EGT in Longview, WA. This photo was taken in September 2011 by Don Ryan of the Associated Press and was widely published, including in Time Magazine.
The Daily News in Longview has compiled the following list of events related to the struggle at the Port of Longview. We’ve started the list below, and you can click here to see the entire TDN report.
At the Aug. 4, 2009, groundbreaking for the $200 million EGT grain terminal at the Port of Longview, the construction was hailed as a boon for Longview and the region. Once EGT decided not to hire International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21 workers, though, the project became contentious as pickets were staged outside — and sometimes inside — port property. Several months of stand-offs and numerous arrests followed:
July 14 – Hundreds block railroad tracks, BNSF suspends trains to EGT.
July 11 – 100 arrested after tearing down a chain link gate and protesting on EGT property.
June 3 – More than 1,000 protesters rally at EGT’s Portland headquarters.
May 20 – 150 stage an informational picket in Longview, urging EGT to hire ILWU workers.