LONGVIEW — A train carrying a shipment of grain made its first delivery to a new terminal in Longview on Wednesday night, surviving a day of union protests that included two blockades and a tense clash with police.
Authorities arrested about a dozen people who had lingered on the tracks, detaining them in zipties as the train slowly moved along nearby. Most of the several hundred ILWU protesters had already departed after leaders vowed to come back another day.
The shipment is the first to arrive at the new grain terminal operated by EGT. The union believes it has the right to work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that is staffing a workforce of other union laborers.
EGT chief executive Larry Clarke said it was unfortunate that law enforcement needed to make arrests.
“The dangerous actions here by the ILWU not only hurt the surrounding community, but also have a harmful impact along the supply chain for U.S. farmers and their families seeking new opportunities in export markets worldwide,” Clarke said.
ILWU members first blocked a Longview-bound train earlier this summer, halting all shipments to the site. The latest attempted delivery came after a federal judge issued a restraining order against the union. Protesters first blocked the train in Vancouver early Wednesday morning before regrouping to halt it again in Longview.
At one point, police tried to arrest a small number of the union activists on railroad tracks in Longview, but the crowd surged and kept the officers at bay. The police retreated about 150 feet.
A top union official later called off the protest that twice blocked the shipment to the Port of Longview. International Longshore and Warehouse Union International President Robert McEllrath told hundreds of supporters Wednesday evening that they were not backing down.
“We’ll be back,” he shouted at law enforcement officials. He told supporters they would return to block another shipment with an even greater mobilization.
About two dozen officers gathered nearby during the stalemate, with some wearing helmets and masks. Others videotaped the protesters, several of whom were hit with pepper spray during the police action, said Dan Coffman, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21.
The blockade appeared to defy the federal restraining order issued last week that prohibits the union from blocking entrance to the facility in Longview. A judge issued the order after federal officials alleged the protesters engaged in death threats and assaults.
Clarke called the blockade a blatant disregard for the law as spelled out by the judge.
Union officials said they were simply fighting for their jobs.
“The issue is that EGT is failing to honor its lease agreement to hire union longshore workers,” spokeswoman Jennifer Sargent said.
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