Local wheat farmers cheer resolution of longshoremen strike

The International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union voted on and ratified a new contract which will bring long-term stability to grain exports from the state’s export facilities.

Announcement of a tentative accord occurred Aug. 11 and resulted in Washington State Department of Agriculture inspectors immediately returning to work at United Grain Corporation in Vancouver.

The union voted and ratified the contract Tuesday, with 88.4 percent voting in favor of the contract, according to Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers.

The contract will be in eff...