Longshoremen clash shuts Northwest ports

[MrCoffee]

Source: Seattle Times

TACOMA — A federal judge said he will not tolerate any more violence in a labor dispute between a Longview grain-terminal operator and Longshoremen, and put the U.S. Marshal's Service on notice to enforce an injunction aimed at restoring the peace.

While U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton said there are legitimate issues at stake between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and EGT Development, thuggish tactics employed by hundreds of union members and supporters at the Port of Longview on Thursday are not acceptable.

Meantime, a series of wildcat actions stopped work Thursday at ports in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Anacortes, but this morning a Port of Seattle spokesman said operations at Seattle terminals have returned to normal.

Early Thursday morning, at least 500 Longshoremen and sympathizers stormed the Port of Longview and broke windows in the guard shack, according to Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha. As men wielding baseball bats and crowbars held six guards captive, others cut brake lines on boxcars and dumped grain, the chief said.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016144477_longshoremen09m.html

[Mr Deltoid]

1. Unions are the only buffer we have left between us and the fascists

Time for unions to RISE UP

[Proletariatprincess]

2. I agree.

And I make a distinction between property damage and thuggery. Thuggery is violence against people. But to the bosses, property is more valuable than workers so they always over react and call it violence when only their property has been attacked.
Screw 'em.
Up the UNION!
Trust the ILWU to show the way.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Thuggery is violence against people. ...

But to the bosses, property is more valuable than workers so they always over react and call it violence when only their property has been attacked. ... Trust the ILWU to show the way.

As men wielding baseball bats and crowbars held six guards captive, others cut brake lines on boxcars and dumped grain, the chief said.

Nope, no violence here. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not have the ILWU show me the way.

[DrunkenBoat]

13. The chief was lying. No one held anyone captive, no brake lines were cut.

[valerief]

7. Just as corporations are people, property is people, too. To the elites, anyway. nt

[FreedomVoice]

8. Its UNION vs UNION here

Per the article the ILWU is mad that another union is working at the facility... I don't see how Union VS union violence is helping our cause. This is really bad press for any labor movement IMO.

[Nostradammit]

9. It's Union VS scabs.

Nice try, though.

[aggiesal]

10. Welcome to DU ...

But with only 20 posts, and posts like your Union .vs. Union post,
you're going to be labeled a RW Troll.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Poster is quite correct

There seems to be union labor on both sides of this one. Quite odd

[DrunkenBoat]

15. The poster doesn't know enough about the dispute. That;s what happens when you only read the msm.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. Try this from a ILWU website

http://www.ilwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DispatcherJULY2011lores.pdf

First page, top of the third column:

Union collusion
In an effort to circumvent the
Port of Longview’s contractual obligation
to hire ILWU members, EGT
announced plans on July 17 to hire
an outside contractor that would
employ members of the Operating
Engineers Local 701. This collusion
by Local 701 with EGT sparked
widespread criticism from all segments
of the labor movement including
the area’s Building Trades. A local
official of the Operating Engineers
even expressed concern


That does seem fairly odd...

[DrunkenBoat]

17. Not if you understand that Local 701 is a company union.

[DrunkenBoat]

14. NO, IT'S NOT. EGT contracted with General Construction Corp, which has its own

"company union".

EGT did so because they first tried to use non-union labor & got called on it (they signed a contract to use the Longview local) -- so the company union was their second choice.

There's no "union v. union violence".

[TBF]

3. Solidarity with ILWU -

fucking capitalists call us "thugs" while they rape and pillage world-wide. Screw that.

[jerseyjack]

5. The Natives Are Getting Restless.....

[safeinOhio]

6. Forget calling out the US Marshal's Service.

That would cost tax dollars that are not off-set with other spending cuts. Just call out the anti-labor teabaggers for that battle.

[quakerboy]

11. Hows about this for a solution:

If there are legitimate issues at stake, and the good judge wants to prevent further incidents, what say he address those issues with his judicial powers, and then there would be no need for incidents. Justice delayed and all that.