Longshore union president convicted of obstructing train
LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has been found guilty of obstructing a train during last year's labor dispute at a Longview grain terminal.
The Daily News of Longview reports jurors deliberated for about an hour and 40 minutes before finding Robert McEllrath guilty of the misdemeanor.
McEllrath told Cowlitz County Judge Robert Putka he had no regrets about leading his men and women against corporate greed.
The judge sentenced McEllrath to one day in jail and 89 days suspended, plus $543 in fines and court costs.
This was McEllrath's second trial on the charge. Jurors failed to reach a verdict at the first one.
The Oregonian reports that longshoremen walked out at the Port of Portland's container Terminal 6 after the verdict.
The Daily News of Longview reports jurors deliberated for about an hour and 40 minutes before finding Robert McEllrath guilty of the misdemeanor.
McEllrath told Cowlitz County Judge Robert Putka he had no regrets about leading his men and women against corporate greed.
The judge sentenced McEllrath to one day in jail and 89 days suspended, plus $543 in fines and court costs.
This was McEllrath's second trial on the charge. Jurors failed to reach a verdict at the first one.
The Oregonian reports that longshoremen walked out at the Port of Portland's container Terminal 6 after the verdict.
About time one of them got what they deserve for breaking the law!
If they want to protest corporate GREED maybe they should be picketing all the ships coming in with automobiles, electronics and manufactured goods from companies like Foxcon in China which has over a million nonunion employess who live in dormitories?
Don't penalize the American farmers, since I am sure it takes several ship loads of grain or produce to equate to one ship load of autos or electronics!
When I would wotk at Pier 91 and watch several car carriers unload the port engineer would tell us to watch where we parked, since there would be over 90 various vehicles being loaded on the same carriers! These were classic autos and some farm implements.
When at the Port of Everett we would see the barges full of Boeing aircraft assemblies brought in and taken to the plant by the Boeing train for final assembly. Then to top it off the Apple exports the first couple of years we worked there seemed lucrative, but when we quit working on fishing vessels in Everett the Port engineer said they were down to maybe one ship a month and we were using the refrigerated apple storage wherehouse to store parts in!
So picket the imports and not the exports!
The USA and State is broke politically and finacially!