Excerpts from the Columbian:
In the letter, Inslee cites a temporary contract agreement between the ILWU and Temco — an operator of grain export facilities in Portland, Tacoma and Kalama — as an example that progress can be made in Vancouver. “We know that common ground can be met with good faith bargaining as shown by the Temco agreement and hope similar negotiations and progress can be made here,” Inslee wrote.
Schuld, CEO of United Grain, responded to Inslee in a July 16 letter, rejecting the Temco agreement as a model for future talks. “It’s a straw man,” Schuld wrote to Inslee, “not a substantive basis for a labor agreement.”
Jennifer Sargent, spokeswoman for the ILWU, said Friday that Temco is the largest of the grain exporters, with three West Coast elevators, “making their agreement with the ILWU the industry standard.”