From today’s Columbian:
Union dockworkers and grain-terminal owners in the Northwest, including United Grain Corp. at the Port of Vancouver, who’ve sparred for more than a year over terms of a new labor contract, said Wednesday that renewed negotiations this week have been fruitful.Longshore workers have made the Pacific Northwest one of the most productive grain export regions in the world. Photo shows Mitsui-United Grain Corp. in Vancouver, WA.
In a statement issued to The Columbian, Jennifer Sargent, spokeswoman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said the negotiations held on Oct. 21 and 22 “were positive and productive.”
Pat McCormick, spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association — whose membership includes United Grain Corp. at the Port of Vancouver — said Sargent’s comments are “consistent” with his understanding of how the restarted talks are going.
Neither party will comment on the specifics of their new and productive negotiations. But both are expected to schedule additional discussions in the weeks ahead. Wednesday’s news suggests the potential for a resolution of a long-running and bitter conflict.
