ILWU president charged after protest
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said its president, Robert McEllrath, on Monday surrendered to law enforcement officials in Kelso, Wash.
He faces charges resulting from a Sept. 6 port protest.
The union said McEllrath was specifically cited on misdemeanor charges of trespassing in the second degree and blocking or delaying a train that was attempting to bring grain to the new EGT terminal in Longview, Wash.
The ILWU said jobs at that grain terminal should be filled by its members and EGT has violated its lease agreement with the Port of Longview. EGT is a multinational joint venture owned by Bunge, Itochu from Japan and STX Pan Ocean from Korea.
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The union said a protest was also orchestrated along the entire West Coast in conjunction with McEllrath’s surrender: “All machinery and equipment in West Coast ports stopped for 15 minutes as McEllrath turned himself in, and the presidents of the local unions at the ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and Vancouver accompanied him through the front door of the Hall of Justice.”
Also with McEllrath were two representatives from the International Longshoremen’s Association, including Ken Riley its international vice president.
“Today I’m standing with Longview’s longshore workers and their supporters who have been harshly punished for standing up to multinational bully EGT,” said McEllrath, who has been president of the union since 2006.
ILWU said about 135 longshore workers and their supporters have been arrested this summer.