Aug 12 (Reuters) – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and a group of Pacific Northwest grain companies reached a tentative contract agreement following two days of meetings, a U.S. federal mediator said in a statement on Tuesday.
The two groups have been bargaining for over two years under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The tentative agreement is subject to the ratification of ILWU membership, said Scot Beckenbaugh, FMCS’s acting director.
Tensions mounted over the past month when officials stopped inspecting grain at the Port of Vancouver in Washington, a facility owned by United Grain Corp, a unit of Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co Ltd – a member of the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers.
The absence of grain inspectors caused a backlog of grain exports from the Pacific Northwest in July.
