OPB's Rob Manning interviews Longshore pensioner Arne Auvinen at the Port of Longview, August 25, 2011.
In a news segment broadcast today called “Labor Dispute Slows Grain Export From Longview Port,” OPB’s Rob Manning spoke with longshore workers and pensioners at the Port of Longview to hear their perspective on the fight to make EGT honor its commitment to union longshore workers at the Port of Longview.
Dan Coffman, Jim Burgoyne and Arne Auvinen at the EGT gate in Longview. OPB photo.
[ILWU Local 21 President] Dan Coffman says EGT is violating the port’s lease agreement that puts cargo work in the hands of the Longshoremen.
EGT is instead working through a contractor called General Construction, to bring in a different union – the Operating Engineers.
That’s a sore point with Longshoremen, including retirees – like Arne Auvinen.
“We been here in Longview for over 80 years, as a local. This has been our job and it should belong to us. We don’t go out and say, go take a job away from the hoisting engineers out there on some construction site. We stay on the waterfront and try to defend our jobs,” Auvinen said.
