After years of negotiation, Port of Olympia ratifies contract with union representing marina and boatyard employees 

The Port of Olympia Commission unanimously voted to ratify a contract with ILWU Local 47B, which represents the workers at Swantown Marina & Boatworks.  

Three weeks ago the port concluded a contract with a related union, ILWU Local 47A.  See related story. 

Executive Director Alex Smith told the commission that the contract contains 31 articles about various aspects of work such as scheduling and work hours, wages, leaves, pensions, working conditions, subcontracting and others.   

Union members are currently set for a 4% salary increase starting in January due to a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2024.

Before the upcoming raise, union members were also given a 4% raise that started on November 1. 

According to a signed copy of the contract, the port assures union members of another 2-4% cost-of-living raise in 2026 and another in 2027, depending on the Consumer Price Index. 

The contract also guarantees union members health, dental, vision, and life insurance. 

Should port management conduct a layoff, employees will be retained based on seniority. If removed due to the layoff, the contract provides union members with a severance package worth one week of the employee’s current pay for every full year of employment. 

The agreement also contains provisions for handling disputes, initially through an informal grievance procedure and, if the issue remains unresolved, through a formal procedure. 

The union may designate a shop steward to monitor compliance with the contract and, if needed, attend disciplinary meetings, investigatory interviews, and pre-disciplinary hearings. 

The union and the port will also set a monthly Joint Labor Relations Committee meeting to discuss workforce issues.  

The union may assign three members to the committee, and at least two of them must attend the monthly meetings. Time spent on the committee will be compensated. 

The contract states that while the contract is in effect, union members will not engage in any strike, sit-down, boycott, slowdown or picketing. At the same time, port management will not engage in the lockout of its employees. 

Other articles in the contract deal with the probationary period for new union members, compensation and expectations for stand-by employees, safety standards, and furnishing of work tools. 

The term of the contract expires on December 31, 2027. 

Timeline 

According to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) website, the union, which currently has 14 members, was organized in April 2022 and has been negotiating a contract since June 2022. 

Negotiations stalled under the leadership of former Executive Director Sam Gibboney, and starting in February 2023, they had to go through mediation with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). 

Smith took over the port in March this year. By October, the port agreed to give Local 47B members a 4% raise. At that point, port management and the union had agreed to 16 articles of the contract. 

Before the commission ratified the contract, Smith called out the people responsible for the completion of the contract. The union’s bargaining committee comprises Quinton Vickaryous, Steve Movius, Tim Sallee, and Robert Rose.  

On the port management side, Smith thanked Director of Operations Warren Hendrickson and HR Director Ben McDonald. The executive director also acknowledged Guy Coss and Erin Slone-Gomez from PERC.