Maritime accidents happen. When they do, they’re often man-made and due to incompetence.
Right now, incompetence and inexperience could lead to an environmental calamity on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
As a result of the ongoing lockout of longshore workers in Vancouver’s grain terminals, experienced tugboat captains and crews also have been kept away. Instead, fly-by-night operators are now operating barges and tugs on these ecologically fragile waterways.
The US Coast Guard needs to do more to insure that we don’t have an environmental disaster on our rivers. And Japan-based grain terminal operators Matsui and Marubeni need to immediately end the lockout of their workers.
Take action today. Tell the CEOs of Japan-based Matsui and Marubeni to protect our precious rivers and treat workers fairly by ending — right now — the lockout of experienced maritime workers.
To:
Fumiya Kokubu, President & CEO, Marubeni Corporation:
Masami Iijima, President & CEO, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
It’s time to end the lockout of experienced maritime workers on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
Locking out workers as a tactic in a labor dispute is just plain wrong. You should settle issues with longshore workers at the bargaining table.
In addition, because experienced longshore workers, tug boat captains and crews have been sidelined by this unnecessary and unfair lockout, you’re putting the fragile ecosystems of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers at risk.
That’s unacceptable. We’ve seen too many maritime disasters caused by inexperience and incompetence. We don’t need another one in Washington or Oregon.
Please end the lockout, return to the bargaining table, and protect our precious rivers.
[Your comment here]
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
