Massive project looks outside for workforce

To The Eagle:

A $200 million Export Grain Terminal (EGT) in a “public private partnership” is being built at the Port of Longview by TE Ibberson. This should have brought relief to an already economically depressed SW Washington, but the latest Daily News article cites unemployment in Cowlitz is up .03 percent.

Perhaps if our new “partner” had hired locally instead of bringing a private workforce from all over North America (except Canada) our unemployment numbers would have leveled off during this period. The Port of Longview and the Cowlitz Economic Development Council did everything in their power to attract this client, including lobbying the Washington State legislature to give “EGT” an annual tax break of over a million dollars for the next three to five years.

Our new “partner,” TE Ibberson, is owned by a non-union contractor named TIC, a self contained operation, which provides it’s own workforce. These are not local workers supporting homes and families in the community. Typically, TIC will throw a little chump change at a local charity, Community House in this case. However, make no mistake, any work given to our local workforce has been offset exponentially by it’s own workforce. Apparently, the highly skilled nature of a “public private partnership” in today's climate requires "highly skilled" construction workers, so "highly skilled" as to require H-1 Visas? This “partner” is participating in the local economy by providing employee lodging in Clatskanie, why not closer to the job-site?

Let us not forget, employees working for Ibberson will leave the area when the job is over and are eligible to file a Washington State Unemployment Claim. Meanwhile, our local qualified and skilled workforce is sitting at home collecting what is left of unemployment, watching home values within Cowlitz plummet, waiting to be one of the next foreclosures (40 percent in January per TDN.).

The EGT at the Port of Longview did not fall under prevailing wage work because the public property was leased to a private corporation by the Port of Longview. The Port’s Executive Director and Commissioners were unwilling to put language in the lease to protect any of the local workforce in Cowlitz County. Employing local workers would have made a difference in the local employment situation.

Given the lack of support for our local workforce, the question remains if there will be any “living wage” jobs left in Southwest Washington to maintain our local “skilled” workforce.

Jeff Washburn

Castle Rock