TACOMA, Wash. -- A dispute between union workers and a new grain terminal at the Port of Longview is expanding to include local law enforcement.
That's as a federal judge fined a Longshore union $250,000 on Friday for its tactics in a Longview labor dispute. He warned that individual protesters could face their own penalties for future violations of his orders.
Union protesters believe they have the right to work at a new grain terminal at the Port of Longview that is currently being staffed by workers from a different union, Oregon-based Operating Engineers Local 701.
They have recently accused police of harassment.
"As for the allegations in the recall petition, I’m gonna state quite simply, they’re not true," sheriff Mark Nelson said. "Until they either unelect me or elect somebody else, I’m elected to do this job, and this is what I am responsible for doing. And I’m gonna continue to do it."
More: Union held in contempt for 'juvenile' behavior
U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton has already held the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in contempt for blocking a train and storming a grain terminal earlier this month.
Authorities have said the protesters in the second incident overpowered security guards, damaged railroad cars and dumped grain. "What's going on out there is awful," Leighton said. "We have to do something about it, and I'm going to do something."
The National Labor Relations Board had asked the court to fine the union more than $290,000 to cover the damages and expenses such as overtime for law enforcement agencies. Leighton said he rounded down to be cautious and ordered additional penalties for future violations, including $25,000 for the union, $5,000 for union officers and $2,500 for other individuals.
The union plans to appeal the decision, attorney Robert Remar said after the hearing. He had argued that the union has the right to assess whether the proposed damages and expenses were proper, saying that he believes some of them were excessive and inflated.
Repeatedly facing arrest, the protesters in Longview have viewed themselves as being the latest front in the struggle for American jobs and benefits during the economic downturn. The dispute has continued to escalate, with protesters resorting to aggressive tactics that have been a rarity in recent labor disputes around the country.
Leighton is scheduled to address the larger dispute, focused on different interpretations of port contracts, in a hearing later Friday.
KGW Reporter Tim Gordon contributed to this report
