Longview's non-local workforce hurts economy

To The Eagle:

Response to Daily News, July 16,“Local Economy Has Got Us Optimistic.”

Brought instant memories of my fifth grade teacher, repeating, “You Don’t Got Anything!”

In addition to the poor grammatical inference, another article concealing facts, there is $200 million in construction occurring at The Port of Longview, building an Export Grain Terminal (EGT) and a non-local workforce is accomplishing most of the work. The Port made public “New Jersey Skyline Steel” will-be-built “prevailing wage.” Upon examination, this is a public relations tactic; it works well against an uninformed public. As the local labor community knows, the situation is worse than the rosy colored lenses this title indicates. The article cites the Skyline lease changed the EGT lease, giving EGT a $250,000 credit. Between Skyline and EGT there should have been more stimuli in the local economy.

To clarify, none of the jobs at the Port of Longview’s leased properties are being negotiated with the traditional workforce, the typical local workers that perform this type of work.

The Port is not currently paying prevailing wages for EGT’s construction either. Every chance the Port has to lower our local standard of living, they will. They consider these tactics good business and with the local media at their side, printing whatever propaganda the Port sends them, who's to know? However, one local business is making out, the shop transmitting weekly paychecks out of country.

Given the dire situation in our local communities, who is guarding our jobs, if not our elected officials? Is the "corporate" fox guarding the local henhouse? Our communities need resolutions to prevent the outsourcing of our jobs by not leasing our public lands to private interests.

Jeff Washburn

Castle Rock