Like Mitsui-owned United Grain in Vancouver, Marubeni-owned Columbia Grain profits from America’s farms, roads, railroads and public ports
PORTLAND, OR (May 4, 2013) – Washington and Oregon-based longshore workers who have exported grain from Portland since the 1930’s were locked out this morning by the current owner of the facility at Terminal 5, Japan-based Marubeni, which operates under the name Columbia Grain.
“Unfortunately, Marubeni-Columbia Grain has done what it’s wanted to do all along, and locked out local workers who have made this company profitable for decades,” said Bruce Holte, President of ILWU Local 8 who also serves as a Port of Portland Commissioner. “Rather than reach a fair agreement, the company has hired an out-of-state strikebreaking firm, attorneys and a publicist to make allegations against local workers who simply want to do our jobs and support our community.”
Holte said the company hired replacement workers last fall, while negotiations were still in the early stages, showing that the company never intended to reach an agreement.
“Northwest taxpayers invest in our roads and public ports to create good jobs, and here’s a profitable Japanese company spending enormous resources to take away good local jobs,” Holte said. “Marubeni is hurting the Northwest’s economy by putting local union workers out on the street instead of allowing us to go to work.”
The ILWU has worked since the 1930s under the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers’ Agreement, which currently covers six grain terminals owned by:
- Japan-based Mitsui (United Grain in Vancouver)
- Japan-based Marubeni (Columbia Grain in Portland)
- Netherlands-based Louis Dreyfus Commodities (elevators in Seattle and Portland)
- US-based TEMCO, owned by Cargill and CHS (elevators in Tacoma, Kalama and Portland)
The Grain Handlers’ collective bargaining agreement expired on September 29, and all of the employers except Tacoma-TEMCO imposed a concessionary agreement in December that had been rejected by 94% in a union membership vote; TEMCO continued to negotiate with the ILWU and reached an agreement that was passed by the membership by a 74% yes vote and ratified in February.
About 500 members of ILWU Locals 8, 40 and 92 work at the Port of Portland’s grain, bulk, auto and container terminals.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents 50,000 men and women on the docks and in other industries in Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Panama.
– ILWU Coast Longshore Division news release